Tatsu Morph
by Lunar-ninja
Summary: The beginning of the Chimaera Dragons series. What Raph assumes is a simple mugging breakup might change his life forever. Currently being revised, rewritten, and woodshedded.
1. What in the world?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the turtles.

A/N: Yes, it's back, and hopefully better. I decided why make you people suffer with the cave-manish version when you can have the new and improved version? (wink)

**1.**

Raph bounced back and forth on the balls of his feet, arms wrapped around his legs, watching for activity down below. It was pretty boring tonight. He had gone out on his own accord because Leo had, plain and simple, ticked him off. It really shouldn't have made him mad at all. It was just a training session with Splinter meditating in his room. Leo, as always, was directing it.

It had been a simple kata that Leo called, one that Raph easily could get done. But for some reason, his limbs weren't cooperating with him and his brother had made him do it again and again. This also made his fuse burn shorter and shorter, until finally, Raph exploded in Leo's face after he told the hotheaded turtle to do it twenty more times until he got it right. Simply put, Raph had stormed out of the Lair for some late-night patrolling, even though it wasn't in their rounds to do it on this day.

Raph yawned in boredom. _Crooks taking the night off, I guess,_ he mused thoughtfully. And why not? It was a full moon in a cloudless sky that hung over New York City, revealing any and all crime that happened. Must also be why the policemen had an extra cup of coffee with them. Raph never had understood the stereotype that most policemen on night watch had donuts and coffee within easy reach. It was never donuts, except in the mornings when criminal activity was less likely to happen.

An irate driver below yelled at some pedestrian that had evidently jaywalked. Raph watched the offender scurry to safety on the sidewalk before he got flattened by the driver. _Nothing here for me. _The turtle rolled back onto his heels and stood up, stretching his legs. How long had he been sitting there? Five minutes? Ten? He shrugged to himself and stepped down from the edge of the brownstone onto the main part of the roof.

He took a running leap across an alley, landing lightly on his toes on the next building. Coiling himself for another spring over a gap in the apartments, he jumped onto the other roof. Raph was about to begin running again when he heard a clatter in the space he had just cleared. _Finally! _The turtle whirled agilely and peered over the wall, looking down into the grungy space. "Oh boy," he grumbled irritably.

Down below, a small figure scampered as far as it could into the alley, striking the dead end almost instantly. In the light of the lamp above a locked store door, he saw that it was a girl with dark brown hair and periwinkle eyes. About the age of fourteen, he guessed. From above, he really couldn't tell how tall she was. Panting came from her mouth as she tried to meld with the shadows behind a dumpster.

Entering the alley were about seven Purple Dragons, unnoticed by the patrol down the street. The evident leader of the group held the standard pipe in his hand and smacked the walls with it a couple times. His companions chuckled as the leader whistled as one would for a dog. "Here, girly girly! Come on out!" he called sweetly, a trace of a rasp in his voice. "We won't hurt you!"

"Alright, rapists or muggers, which one?" Raph muttered, eyeing them. The girl behind the dumpster made a face as her hunters came ever closer. The turtle above carefully took out a Sai. "She's going to get herself hurt like this…" He silently crow-hopped onto the edge of the building when all of a sudden, the fugitive ran out from her hiding place.

The leader of the Purple Dragons advanced upon his cornered prey, grinning like a hyena. "There you are. Gonna come quietly, or do we have to pop you one?" he asked, testing the pipe on the walls.

She scowled at them. "I'm warning you, don't come any nearer!" she growled blackly, crouching.

"Oh? What 'cha gonna do? Flick me, midget?" he taunted. "You're gonna make me'n my boys rich. I saw you do that thing before, girly. And I'm gonna make you do it for money."

"Says who?" she spat back.

"Now's no time to act tough," Raph grunted, getting ready to drop down in front of the hapless hoodlum and deck him.

The leader took another step. "Don't come any closer!" the girl threatened, holding her hands above her head. He charged at her, swinging the pipe like a maniac. "Tatsu morph!"

"Say _what_?" Raph yelled as a column of bright light blinded him. He stumbled backwards, landing on his shell, spots dancing in front of his eyes. The turtle rubbed them with a fist, blinking. He saw nothing but heard surprised shouts and an angry bellow that sounded nothing like whom he had been about to rescue. There was a hissing sound and pained yelps that faded into the regular sounds of the city. They must've run away. "Argh, why can't I see?" he growled.

Slowly his vision began clearing, the spots vanishing into the windows of nearby skyscrapers. Tendrils of white smoke curled up from the alley, carrying the scent of singed hair. "Either she had a flame thrower or I'm hallucinating," the turtle grumbled, standing and slipping his Sai into his belt. Tentatively, he peered down into the alley and rubbed his eyes again in disbelief. Nope. Still there.

Sitting by the dumpster with an immensely amused grin on its scaly face, was a dragon.

* * *

I'm liking this more and more already.

Ashite Imasu,

LN


	2. The Dragon

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the turtles, but I sure as shell own Keilah and the dragon(s).

A/N: Hahah, Nechai and Keron are bigger and badder than ever! They've got more personality now, though. Give it up, people! (cricket chirp) Ahahahah...yeah.  
_Italics _Character thoughts and mental communication  
**_Bold Italics _** Keilah's mental speech

**2.**

Far above the brownstones of New York City there sat two men on a skyscraper's pinnacle, watching. Waiting. One was a thin person with a proud eagle-nose and muddy brown eyes glaring out from beneath bushy eyebrows. His scruffy black hair stuck out wildly in all directions. His sunken cheeks were covered in salt and pepper stubble. Billowing around him was a dirty overcoat, a fedora clutched in his hairy hand. A dark gray shirt and cargo pants completed the strange person.

His partner, a younger man with more height to boast and a brawnier build, had a squarely shaped jaw covered in thick brown whiskers. His eyes had a sleepy sort of look in them, the eyelids half shut over dark green irises. Dark blond hair stuck out from under his fedora. He wore the same apparel as his companion did.

Currently, the more muscular of the two, was complaining hotly about their task. "This is so boring! How long do we have to wait out here in the bloody cold before we see even a _trace_ of that dragon spirit carrier?" he grumbled. "I swear, you can't find anything in this city!" The man muttered rude curses before whipping out a pair of sophisticated binoculars and scanning the endless brownstones for a sign of activity.

"Stop your complaining, Keron. Be patient, we'll see something sometime," his coolheaded partner replied, sniffing idly.

"Hah! All you ever see in this mess of cement are car lights and thugs going after some defenseless dame with a purse!" He rocked on his heels, grimacing as a cool gust of wind came up. "I hate the cold!"

"_Must _you be so noisy?"

"It's not like anybody's going to hear us. I doubt somebody would have a reason for going up to this poop deck."

The man turned his head to stare at Keron with his muddy brown eyes. "I will never understand you."

Keron snorted. "Old coot," he muttered under his breath, staring at a quiet alley. "Why can't we just leave this to that stiff-backed oriental man's ninjas? What do we get out of sitting here like pigeons?"

"A healthy lot of money, that's what."

"Yeah, well if I freeze into a mansicle, I won't be happy," Keron quipped. Seconds later, a group of teens tore out of the alley he was watching with a look of utmost terror on their faces. A blue-white fireball followed them, striking the building adjacent to it. "Holy mackerel, did you see that, Nechai?" he exclaimed.

"I'm not blind," the older man retorted. "Looks like we found what we were looking for."

"Only after freezing our butts off." The two bickering men jumped headfirst off the roof.

* * *

Raph stood rooted to the spot and stared at the dragon as though it would disappear any second. The dragon was of silvery blue color, and the size of a horse. Its head, shaped roughly triangular, had a please smirk pasted onto its muzzle. Eyes a darker color than its hide twinkled merrily under large eye ridges. Silver horns poked out from its scaly armor right at the top of its head. Long ears flicked back and forth right by its horns. Leathery wings protruded from its back. Its muscular legs ended in large four toed paws adorned with sharp silver claws. A lithe tail snaked back and forth on the cement. 

He scratched his head. Now, how does that work? Girl gets cornered. Girl is about to be beat up. Girl becomes dragon. Dragons scares away thugs. Dragon grins. Perhaps magic, but Raph didn't like to consider things like that. "I _hate _magic," he muttered. Suddenly, the dragon's ears went straight forward. "Oh shell…" The turtle began backing away, his view of the alley temporarily obstructed by the body of the dragon flying out of it. He snarled and did a back flip to avoid the claws of the animal. "If you want a piece of me, come and get it!"

The dragon hissed, beating its wings to gain height, before diving at him again. Raph ducked the razor sharp claws and dove to the side, getting out both Sais. His opponent made a wide turn before landing on the roof lightly. Ears pinned back, its nostrils began streaming black smoke. _Shoot, I can't do anything against fire! _The turtle prepared to duck the attack when it feinted a swipe with its large paw and spat a fireball at the same time. He jumped the fireball but he failed to see the other paw.

It swatted him out of the air, throwing him into an air duct. His shell impacted with a clang, denting the metal in. "Dang it!" he grunted, getting up. The dragon advanced slowly, tail waving back and forth like a snake with its own will. Raph took a defensive stance. The reptile charged him, paws pounding on the roof. He ducked a swipe and slid under its belly. Recovering quickly, he took a flying leap at it and dragon kicked its head into a stairwell.

_Alright, buster, that's IT! You're getting your butt fried, marinated, and served up on a platter at KFC! _

The distraction of a different mind communicating with his own was enough to make him stagger in surprise. Splinter had told them once of being able to contact each other with their minds, but none of them had ever mastered it. Only Leo got even close and that was expected.

The dragon's paw came out of nowhere, smacking him painfully to the roof. His reflexes failed to be quick enough to escape the paw that pinned him down. He struggled wildly but futilely. It was over. He growled at the dragon as it came closer to his face, sniffing his beak in puzzled interest.

"If you're gonna eat me I've got one word for you: indigestion!" he snarled rebelliously, clutching his Sais even tighter. The dragon paid no heed to his warning, but kept up its inspection of its prey. The faint smell of smoke wafted from its flared nostrils.

_Humph. You sure are a lot of trouble for a _kame, the mental presence snorted. _And I'm not going to eat you, much as I'd like some meat right now. Haven't eaten in nearly forever…_

Raph quit his struggling. "Wait, are _you _talking to me?"

_Duh. Do you see any other incredibly intelligent female dragon around?_

**_Intelligent my foot, Bima. If you're so intelligent, why haven't you let me out yet? _**somebody else grumbled.

_Oh come on, Keilah! That's got nothing to do with the current conversation._

**_Just let me out! You're scaring him!_**

"Ex-CUSE me?" Raph growled.

**_You can't fool me, I could feel the absolute terror radiating from you. _**The turtle harrumphed. **_Now, about letting me out…_**

_Give me one good reason. Just ONE._

**_You're fat and ugly._**

_WHAT did you say?_

**_You know it's the truth. Why else would turtle-boy here be scared enough to pee his pants?_**

"Not _wearing any_!" Raph yelled. "Get _off _me!"

_I swear, you are the most inconsiderate person I ever met!_

_**Inconsiderate? Just TELL me who released you from that stinky old tablet!**_

_Only because of my masterful powers of persuasion._

_**Just shut up and let me out before I pop you one.**_

_How so? _Bima asked sweetly.

**_Like this! _**The girl, Keilah, formed a picture in Raph's mind, showing her decking Bima across a white floor.

_Ow, that hurt! I already got kicked once today! _the dragon complained.

**_Wanna make it three times? _**she threatened.

_Fine, you grouch, _Bima grumbled. _Tatsu reverse. _There was a soft pop and the dragon paw on Raph's chest was replaced with Keilah's petite form.

"She is the most pig-headed, good for nothing lizard I've ever met," the girl muttered, rolling off the turtle's plastron and standing on the roof. Keilah brushed her black shirt off and grabbed Raph's hand, yanking him up with strength disproportionate to her size. "Name's Keilah. What's yours?"

"Raphael," he replied warily.

She raised an eyebrow. "It's because of that attack, isn't it?"

_Hey, I was just making sure the _kame _wasn't after my hide!_

"Funny way of doing it," Raph grumbled, rotating his shoulder.

_You're just mad because I smoked you. _The turtle growled a warning.

They stared at each other in uncomfortable silence before Keilah started to say something. Then, abruptly, she fell to the roof, out cold. "What the…" Raph bent down and turned her over, finding a dart embedded in her shoulder.

Suddenly, a black shape jumped down in front of him and dealt him a hard punch to the jaw, sending him skidding backward on his shell. He got up quickly, growling ferociously, only to catch a glimpse of his attacker running in the general direction of the bay, Keilah's limp form draped over his shoulder. "Hey!" The turtle took up hot pursuit, chasing the man over alleys, across streets, until finally, he disappeared over a wall.

_Raph, look out! _

He glanced backward, seeing a gigantic fist aimed for his head rocketing toward him. He ducked the punch, grabbed its arm, and attempted to throw him to the ground. "Lights out," somebody muttered. Raph suddenly found a needle gun pointed at his neck.

"Shell." He felt nothing more than a prick before the powerful sedative took effect and he crashed to the roof.

* * *

Yes, folks, we still have the bickering. Next chapter will be up pretty soon. Progress will most likely slow down once I get to the longer chapters.

Ashite Imasu,  
LN


	3. Strange Intentions

**Disclaimer: **Don't own the TMNT, never will.

A/N: Another one fer yooouuuu...

**3.**

Raph felt like he was swimming in mud. And he couldn't breathe, couldn't make the air fill his lungs. Brown filled his vision, clogged his nostrils. He was suffocating. Panic blossomed in his chest, making his heart beat faster as he struggled in the mire. Where was up, where was down? Stars danced in his eyes. Air! Where was the air? Sluggishly, he forced his arm through the mud. He was going to die and he didn't even know how he got here.

Lightheadedness took effect, making all he saw go white at the edges. The mud sucked at him, slithered over his skin like snakes.

Something grabbed his arm, pulling at it wildly. He felt the motion of lift taking over as he somehow rose through the goop. At once, he was free of the mud, sucking in gulps of life-giving oxygen. He took his free arm and wiped the grime away from his eyes. At first he saw nothing but pain from the abrupt light. As he got used to it, the light dimmed into an oily fog

"_Where am I?" _he asked aloud.

_Nightmare. Something made from your OWN mind, and certainly not mine, _he heard Bima say. Wait, Bima? He twisted around to see her flapping her wings steadily, bright eyes looking down at him in displeasure. _You're a mess. _Keilah, who sat nonchalantly on her back, stared at him.

"_Thank you, I tried my hardest," _he replied dryly, turning back to survey his surroundings. It looked like a swamp, bent and crooked black trees drooping wearily over the mud of a bog. Creatures of his own imagination thrashed in the liquid, their bulging eyes appearing for seconds at a time before disappearing underneath. Thick tendrils of smelly fog invaded his mouth, leaving an acidic taste behind. Animals shuffled around in the sparse undergrowth. No source of light could be seen in the dismal place.

**_You sure dream up some interesting things, _**Keilah commented from above. Raph shivered convulsively. **_We looked forever before finding you down there._**

"_How are you in my dream?"_

_It's a certain nifty thing one can do when one is skilled in communicating mentally. I swear, that sedative made you two dream something EVIL, _Bima said with disgust. _I mean, Keilah was dreaming of falling from the sky!_

_**I'm sorry, would YOU have loved falling at the speed of sound without those nifty wings?**_

_Maybe if I had known it was a dream I wouldn't have been terrified!_

_**But you admit you WOULD be terrified.**_

"_GUYS!" _Raph bellowed, swinging by his arm. The two stopped their bickering at glared at him.

_YES?_

_**YES?**_

"_In case you hadn't already figured it out, it doesn't feel dandy to hang by your arm from somebody with claws!"_

Bima grinned devilishly, loosening her tight grip on his arm. He began sliding down towards the mud again. _Well, we'll just put you…_

"_NO!" _He brought up his other arm and grabbed her paw.

_Oh well, looks like we'll be leaving anyway._

"_Huh?" _The turtle looked down and saw the grimy mud beginning to spiral inward to a hole that had formed in the ground, quickly becoming a swirling whirlpool. _"Okay, NOW what's happening?" _he demanded.

_Well, let's see. You go through the funnel, you wake up. Simple as that. Now get off my paw._

"_I ain't going into that giant toilet!"_

_Too bad, sucker. _With a strong whiplash motion, she flung him down into the enlarging abyss. White light swallowed him whole as he hit bottom.

In an instant, he woke up and opened his eyes, immediately wishing he hadn't, and closing them. The sedative was still somewhat in effect, causing his mind to be slow and groggy. He struggled to put the pieces of the past back together. Let's see, first he had a fight with Leo, that's a given. He always fights with Leo. _Um…_The next part of was a bit fuzzy. His mind conjured an image of a dragon. _Yeah, then I fought with Bima, she beat my tail off…_

He wanted badly to scratch his head. It always seemed to help him think. But whenever he tried to move his hand into the position, the movement was arrested by something tight binding his wrists together. _Okay, think Raph, think…_Next he had…um…Keilah had been kidnapped. By a guy in combat boots and a trench coat…Raph had followed him, lost him over the side of a building…Then that giant guy had tried to deck him, missed because of Bima's warning, and then shot him full of some drug. Yeah. That was it.

The turtle's head started throbbing dully. Probably just a waking effect, he decided. Raph cracked his eyes open again. The room didn't spin anymore. Good. Or should he say, cell. Steel bars crisscrossed to his right and front, forming an angle. His shell rested against one of two cement walls. Sitting across from him was Keilah, trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey in strong ropes and looking bemused.

"Where are we?" she wondered, looking around. The movement made Raph dizzy just watching it.

"Not in Kansas," he quipped. Outside their confinement were several keyboards and machines, their small lights flashing green and red. A mess of cords and wires ran along the walls. Monitors shed eerie blue light on the room.

"All I remember is feeling _really _sleepy all of a sudden…"

_And you don't remember being kidnapped, do you? _

"Why would I, dork? I was _asleep_!"

"Guys, shut up! I hear voices!" Raph hissed. "Close your eyes and pretend you never woke up!"

"Why…"

"Just do it!" He settled into a slumped position and shut his eyes as naturally as he could, slowing his breathing.

"…Oh, cripes, Keron, will you quit complaining for just a minute?" somebody growled.

"I don't see why I had to lug that…freak here along with the kid!" the other said. Raph bristled inwardly at the word 'freak'. Just because they'd been called it many a time didn't mean they were immune to indignation. "He was heavy as a young elephant!"

"It's muscle mass…" Raph whispered darkly, eliciting a short chuckle from Keilah. She quieted down completely as the door slammed open into the wall behind it, making a metallic ringing sound. Heavy footsteps came closer to the cell, stopping five feet away.

"Up and at 'em, kiddos," the larger person said, deceptively cheerful. A large hand seized Raph's shell by the edge, lifting him off the floor without so much as a grunt. Involuntarily, he growled. "Knew I heard him talking," he crowed.

Raph cracked open an eye. "What's it to you, Lardo?" he spat with venom. That was a mistake on his part. The face before him screwed into a frown and the arm wound back and threw him forcefully into the wall. "Ugh…note to self, big guy doesn't like being called Lardo…" he groaned, dull pain lancing up his arms.

"Give him another for good measure," the bigger one's partner said calmly. "He needs to be taught respect before being delivered to our new employer."

"The guy who hired you guys must be a pretty stupid ogre…"

He saw the man's hook nose twitch. "Make it painful, Keron."

"Right-o," Keron said, a devilish grin forming on his face as he picked up Raph with both hands. The turtle snarled at him rebelliously and lifted his legs for a double kick to the large man's chest. Faster than a snake, Keron blocked the powerful kick, pressed Raph to the wall by his shoulder with one hand, and punched him in the gut. His eyes bulged as he fell to the floor, hunched over.

"Owwww…" he moaned.

_Hey! If you're going to punch Raph, at least let me join…er, I mean leave him alone!_

"Thanks for the undying support," Raph wheezed. The thin man snorted and stepped over to Keilah, who was shrinking down as far as she could.

"I'll have need of that dragon very soon, girl," he said, grabbing her chin.

"Let go of me," she growled, jerking away and biting his hand.

He jumped away with a high-pitched yelp of pain, so comical that even Keron hid a chuckle behind his monstrous hand. "That hurt, you slut!" Keilah stuck out her tongue, glaring daggers at him.

"Bleah, don't you even wash those spider legs you call fingers?"

_You need sharper teeth, Keilah. I would've bitten the whole thing off, clean or no._

"You have to admit, that was pretty good, Nechai," Keron said mirthfully.

The man nursed his hand tenderly and cursed. "If I could, I would kill you," he growled.

_Just try it, buster,_ Bima shot back rebelliously, _and you lose a vital part of your head. _Nechai sputtered wordlessly then stormed out, clutching his hand like a wounded animal. After locking the cell behind him, Keron left as well.

* * *

"Leo, will you _quit_ pacing? It's driving me insane!" Don called from the couch.

The turtle in blue muttered something unintelligible before stopping to stare at his brother. "I can't help but feel that Raph's in trouble!" he said worriedly.

"Raph's always in trouble," Don muttered, turning back to his large book.

"But this time it's worse!"

"Leo, if your Raph senses are tingling, then go out and get him," Mike yelled as he rolled by on his skateboard. He went up the ramp, spinning a complete three-sixty in the air before landing it and steering around his distraught brother.

"I don't even know where he is!" Leo grumbled, throwing up his arms.

"So call him. I made the Shell cells for a reason," his brother on the couch suggested. Leo sighed and reluctantly took out his cell phone, dialing Raph's number with the ease of long practice. A ring. Two rings. Now three. Strange, Raph would never let it ring that long. He hates listening to the thing beep. Suddenly, he got static, and the standard female operator voice, _"We're sorry. Your call cannot be connected as dialed. Please dial the number and try again."_

Figuring it was just a problem for the moment, he hung up and tried again. This time, he got the voice again, static interfering. "He's not picking up," Leo said to Don, leaning over the couch. In the background, Mike executed a grind on the edge of the rail going over the pond, whooping like a banshee.

A sigh. "Let me try. You're not the most technologically gifted around," he commented, taking the phone from his brother.

Leo gave him a bemused look before laying his head in his hands. "I'm so glad I have your support."

"No prob, Leo." The turtle in purple opened the small device and punched in Raph's number, pressing it to his ear. A second later, he fell to the left, keeping the squawking device as far away from his head as possible. "Speak to me, Leo, and please let me know I haven't gone deaf," Don mumbled, shutting the phone.

"That loud, huh?"

"Like a freighter horn a foot away." He rubbed the side of his head gingerly before continuing. "The only reason I can imagine we're not getting him is that the phone itself has been destroyed, which would really stink, because it takes forever to fix those things."

Leo slid down onto the couch cushion. "So, either he just crushed it out of pure annoyance or…"

"Something's wrong," Don finished, still rubbing his ear. "I could trace your call to him before the phone got destroyed. Maybe then we could get his location."

"Do what you can, Donnie." His brother put down the phone like it was demon-possessed and sprang off the couch like a grasshopper, grabbing his nearby Bo and slipping it into his belt. Don started walking slowly for his lab, but one look to his left, and he went scrambling.

Mikey came sailing over him like Superman, except without the cape and extremely large pectorals. "Yeeehaw! You gotta try this, Donnie!" he whooped, landing perfectly and executing a wide turn around his brother.

"No thanks, Mike, I'd like to keep _all _my teeth in my mouth!" Don yelled, running inside the subway car that served as his lab.

Inside the subway car, he slid into his chair, forgetting that he had an extremely cumbersome weapon on his back. He fell off with a wild yell, crashing into a mound of papers. When Leo came in, he found his brother trying to get pieces of paper and wires off his limbs. "It was the bo," Don grunted to Leo's questioning glance. He scrambled upright, abandoning all dignity, and sat carefully in the chair.

A few minutes later he had his old dinosaur of a computer up and humming warmly. "Alright, gimme that phone, Leo," Don said distractedly.

The turtle in blue protested, "But I thought you brought it in!"

"No, I left it on the couch…why?"

"Well, it wasn't there when I came in…"

Don groaned. "Maybe…Go check on Mikey, I can't hear him rolling around anymore." Leo muttered something before sliding out the door. He looked around the empty space of their home. The couch was empty of any reptilian or rodent flesh, the kitchen didn't have the ringing sounds of a hungry teenager rummaging in the refrigerator, nor was there anybody apparently occupying the bathroom. Which could only mean Leo would have to go into uncharted territory: Mikey's room. Where no turtle had gone before without emerging unharmed.

A few minutes later, after a game of Solitaire on his old computer, Don heard a stifled yell and a crash, followed by the unmistakable sound of Mikey's beat up stereo crashing to the floor. More things to fix. As if he didn't have enough to repair already. Raph had blown a fuse on the TV when he tried to fix it himself, only succeeding in damaging the circuitry further. Mike had accidentally ran the Sewer Slider into a wall when just attempting to back out of their makeshift workshop on the first floor of the Lair. And Leo had tried to cook. A rather foolish decision in all sense, because the turtle could no more operate a stovetop than he could sleep in.

Leo jumped down from the second level of their home, landing heavily on his feet. He burst in, a sizeable bump growing on his upper arm. "His stereo attacked me when I tried to walk past it," he said, truthfully embarrassed. "I tripped over the power cord."

"And just what was Mike doing with your Shell Cell anyway?" Don asked, taking it gingerly from Leo's hand.

"Talking to April. Apparently the phone's busted because Raph spilled some coffee on it earlier this week and he didn't want to tell you because he knows how you've got enough to fix as it is."

"Great. Lovely. I'll be up to my ears in broken machinery by the time the week ends." The turtle in purple rummaged around in a drawer through circuit boards and various things Leo didn't know the use of before extracting a long cord, which he then plugged into his computer, inserting the other end into the cell phone. "Alright, I should be able to track the last few calls through this thing…" The clicking, monotonous sound of his fingers typing away on the keyboard droned for a while before he stopped. "Hmmm…I always knew those tracking devices would come in handy sometime."

"Well?"

"Apparently he's in some old business building bought by a small company decades ago. They've forgotten it altogether by the looks of it. I'll bring up a map." He clicked the mouse over a small button. "Says here some people recently took up residence during the last few weeks for some experimenting with odd machines. Nobody seems too frazzled over the deal," he mumbled, scrolling down. "I doubt what they're doing in there is constructive."

"How so?"

"I'm hacking into their computers as we speak. From what I've seen so far, they aren't harmless. Rather, there are…mmm, heavily encrypted files. I know businesses would protect their information, but these guys have other stuff, firewalls that I don't think even a respectably large company has."

Leo frowned and rubbed his chin. "So, in the language of English, you're saying…"

"These guys are bad news and we have to get Raph out of there."

"Right. Where to?"

"Somewhere by Brooklyn. Just leave the driving to me." Don shut down the computer and the gentle whirring ceased. "By the way…Where's Mikey?" he asked as they exited the subway car.

"Either sulking or eating. I cut him off in the middle of a quote 'important conversation'."

As if to answer Don's question, Mike emerged from the kitchen with a bag of chips nestled under one arm. "Mike, we're going out."

He made a face. "With who? Leo? Gross."

"Wha…Ah, no Mike, not that!" he cried as they raced for the elevator.

* * *

Ah...the improvements make me feel nice and warm inside...goodnight!

Ashite Imasu,  
LN


	4. What a Night!

**Disclaimer: **Are you insane? I don't own the TMNT. For crying out loud, I'm 14! Gimme a break!

A/N: And here's another revised chapter, dudes and dudattes! Sorry for the wait!

**4.**

The door slammed loudly, leaving Raph to lay where he was, trying to recover the wind that had been punched right out of him, and Keilah to make faces. The girl sighed finally and stared at the ceiling, willing it to disappear, along with her bonds and the bars.

_It only works if you have laser vision._

"Thanks for the advice," Raph wheezed, struggling upright and wriggling his hands. "But can we _try _to focus on getting out of her instead of sitting around for fun and games?"

_Be my guest, Houdini, _Bima yawned. After several minutes of unsuccessful attempts at freeing his hands, all Raph could do was growl and mutter to himself. _Well, since we aren't going to be getting out of here by _that _method, what say you ram the bars with your head, kame? _

"Oh, shut up. I don't see you doing anything useful either, ya big lazy alligator."

_What was that, Mr. Touchy?_

"You heard me."

_Is that a challenge?_

"No, I'm makin' conversation."

_Hah. Some conversation, lard butt._

"Yer ma was a salamander."

_Guess who birthed the guy with the oversized hunchback._

"And yer dad was a frog."

_Look who's talking, blockhead._

"Guys, knock it off!" Keilah finally growled at the two. Raph rolled his eyes and Bima stuck out her tongue.

_Just relieving the boredom._

"How about we fill this turtle in on what the heck's going on?" Raph shot back. "Why are these goons after you, and more importantly, me?"

_You're not important, _Bima said airily. _You were just a witness._

"Like somebody was going to believe a giant turtle who screams 'dragon' while running down the streets of New York," Raph snorted, shifting his arms to try and find a weak spot in the ropes.

…_Good point. Why _did _those two brainless idiots bring you, an even more brainless idiot, along with us two lovely ladies? _the dragon asked thoughtfully, sending a jab Raph's way. Keilah sent the both of them a warning glare.

"If we can't figure it out right ow, who says we'll figure it out later?" the girl said tightly. "Now if you're not going to tell him what's happening Bima, I will."

_Be my guest._

Keilah sighed. "Settle in, it's a long one."

"Do you _see _a way out of this freak exhibit?"

She glared icily at him. "Before I say anything else, Raph, shut _up_. You're not making this any more bearable." Bima was about to make a smart comment but whistled innocently when noticed. "Alright, to begin with, how Bima got in my mind. I lived in upstate New York a couple of weeks ago. I'll tell you why I said 'lived' in a minute. My family and I made a living on farming and the like, so it wasn't much. Well, we had a small pond on our property and one day I had a bit of free time from work. So, I decided to explore the more sheltered parts of where we lived. When I came to the pond, I saw a small blue glow coming from under the mud. I wondered why I hadn't seen it before, because my father and little brother had gone on little fishing trips to that pond in our childhood." Neither of the listeners interrupted, though once or twice Bima made some rude noises.

"I knew that my mother would ask about wet clothes if I swam in to check it out, so I waited until midnight to go out with a flashlight and a brush from the house we used to scrub out stains from the laundry. It wasn't very hard to clear away the mud but it made the water murky and full of silt, so I had to grope for a while before I hit something. By the time I had pulled it out it was nearly one in the morning. Bima had evidently been napping while I was doing this, so it came as a surprise to her when she discovered a close-up view of my face staring down at the tablet I'd dug up."

_Threw me for a loop. I'd always been looking at some ugly turtle's butt when I woke up. _Raph snorted._ The sucker loved to sit on me because he knew how much it irritated me._

"I was, understandably, also shocked when I felt a sharp and painful tug inside my head. It's like somebody jabs a wire into your mind and communicates through it. I began hearing Bima's voice in my head. Frightened, I threw the tablet back into the pond and ran like the devil was after me back to my house."

_Chicken._

"Shut up. The next night, my curiosity was more than I could handle, so I sneaked out again and dredged up the tablet. I didn't even know what Japanese looked like so I was confused and thought it an alien language. Not caring for my state of mind, Bima attacked me again -"

_Not true! I mentored you with loving care._

"You're such a liar. Now quit interrupting. She explained to me the more immediate parts of the current situation."

_Can I take over now? You'll get it all wrong. _Keilah made a face. _Well, ya see, we dragons lived in Japan way back when the samurais and ninjas and shoguns and alla them were around. Mighty touchy. If you ever get the chance to time travel, do _not _go back to that time. _(A/N: I just realized…they HAVE gone back to Feudal Japan!) _There are five of us. There's Kiyo, Saesha, Iwansi, and Rijinn. You'd believe me if I said I'd forgotten what they're like. After all, it's been a thousand years and we have no way of communicating. Well, we matured on a heavily forested mountain, and there was a village a few miles away. Back then there were tons of guys who were called chi masters and they used magic._

"Magic's weird. I hate it," Raph muttered, shifting and looking around in the brief interlude.

_Nobody asked you, crud face, _Bima retorted. _Some…things happened and this one dude named Akimoto, the big cheese chi master of the village, got ticked off and sealed me and my siblings in stone tablets. Then he did the next best thing and scattered us all over the globe. _

"But why didn't he just destroy you? Would've saved him a bunch of trouble, and plus I wouldn't be rotting here with a fairy-winged lizard."

_I'll ignore that remark, Raphael. You'd better hope I don't fricassee your butt when I get out next time. Anyway, Chi is a strange thing. You can't destroy things with it; it's more of a summoning and sealing magic. Back when there were actually dragons roaming Japan, it was a necessity to have a chi master nearby to seal them. Contrary to popular belief, them Japanese dragons loved to mess with you and cause trouble. They were especially mean to Iwansi, though I can't remember why. This is why there are no longer dragons in Japan; they got sealed into the center of the earth. But I think Akimoto may have gotten his _sake _spiked, because he didn't do that. __Your turn. I'm tired of campfire stories._

The girl glared bloody murder at the other occupant of her head, but obliged grudgingly. "Bima finished telling me the how and why, but she didn't tell me what I was supposed to do with the tablet."

_Did too. I told you that you had to absorb my spirit._

"You're just saying that right now," Keilah grumbled. "I did absorb her spirit but it took a few minutes for her to get through the hole in my mind. After that she told me I could say 'Tatsu Morph' but when I asked about it, she didn't say what it was. So I did and she shoved my mind aside and took the controls. She disappeared. I don't know how you could explain the situation. It was sort of like being on ether, like that otherworldly feeling of being detached completely from your body. Next thing I knew, Bima was howling for joy, with me trying to shut her up."

_Hey, when you're finally free after a millennium, ya gotta get it out somehow and by any means necessary_, said Bima with a noncommittal shrug.

"So I finally got her to calm down. 'Calm' in the context of rolling on the grass with pure glee. So then she asked me if I liked flying and I told her I'd never been on an airplane. She laughed at me."

_It was a stupid question. Besides, I didn't and still don't know what the heck an airplane is._

"And then the irony of it all got her; when she tried to fly, she discovered she had atrophy in her wing muscles. So all she did was make a hop off the ground and thud back down. For the next week and a half I had managed to keep it a secret. I would go out at night and help Bima regain use of her wings. When she finally flew she did a short flight around the farm and had a time scaring the cows witless." She sobered. "Then, one night when I came back from flying around with Bima, the lights were on in the house."

She took a shaky breath. "I knew my parents never got up at night for snacks or any of that, since I had been doing this for a while now, so it scared me. I got inside…there they were…my brother…my parents…all dead on the floor, bullet holes in their backs. The shock would've been the end of me, but Bima woke me up in time to save me from a dart. The light above the kitchen shattered from the miss and I couldn't see who they were.Bima urged me to get outside and get out of there but I couldn't listen. Not then. So I tackled the nearest one and clawed him across the arm. He didn't seem to notice it and I got thrown out the window. I still wasn't done, even though common sense and Bima were screaming otherwise. A big burly guy came at me and laid me one right on the chest, sending me flying into the very pond I had found Bima in. Then was when the short adrenaline rush began to wear off. My ribs hurt really badly from that punch I had taken, and the glass embedded in my hand and arms was stinging like crazy from the pond water that had gotten in it. So I finally gave in to Bima, let her out, and we flew. In no particular direction. We ended up in New York and Bima brought up the point that perhaps we could find out some stuff on any sightings of dragons on the internet or in past tabloids.

But that was a few nights ago, and I ran into you because a bunch of Purple Dragons had seen me shift from Bima to my human self when we first arrived. Their leader wanted to gain money out of holding me captive and charging people to see me change into Bima. And here I am." She finished quietly and sat there, staring at the floor.

"Sure hope they didn't bug the place," Raph said warily, looking around. "You would've given them a heck of a lot of information." He fell silent and began looking around for a weakness, anything that could help them escape. Finding nothing, he sighed. "Doomed to become a circus animal," he grumbled. "And I hate it when people stare at me."

_What could they possibly gain in ogling at you?_

He grinned slyly. "A turtle mooning," Raph purred, raising his eye ridge.

_Your butt would prompt them all to demand a money-back guarantee. Not to mention your face is just as bad._

"Hey, lay off!" The dragon grinned maliciously and stuck out her tongue. Not two seconds later there was a soft thump from above, causing all three to jump.

"What was that?" Keilah whispered.

"Sounded like an overstuffed toad trying to jump."

"Gee thanks, Raph!" came the slightly hurt reply from the air vent.

"What the…Mikey! How the heck did you find me?" Raph demanded, sitting up.

"I looked into my crystal ball…" he said in a mysterious tone.

Then was the irritated sigh that could only have came from Leo. "Mike, just open the air vent and get in there! I don't know how long Don put off the alarm system for!" he hissed.

"Ten minutes, actually," came the matter-of-fact reply.

"Can it, you guys!" The vent cover fell out and would have clattered on the cement floor had there not been an agile turtle hand to catch it.

"A professional infiltration, if I do say so myself," Mikey said as he dropped to the floor and polished his fist on his plastron.

"Don't celebrate just yet, Mike," Don called in a whisper tone as Leo exited the shaft and landed without so much as a sound. "You made enough noise on the roof to wake a herd of elephants and as it is, I'm not sure if they've found us out yet."

"Thanks for the wet blanket comment, Don."

_I take it this motley crew of misfits is your family? _Leo unsheathed his swords in the blink of an eye, crouching on the floor._ I haven't bitten you yet have I? _Bima grumbled.

"Who _is _that?" Leo asked Raph as he put his katana away and began fiddling with the lock on the door.

_The 'who' would love to be addressed as an actual person and not a figment of your imagination._

"She's a dragon. I'll explain later, but right now I'm more concerned with dropping the part of Thanksgiving turkey ready for the slaughter," Keilah deadpanned.

A devilish grin spread across Mikey's face. "Raph got a _girlfriend_!" he cooed, posing in a feminine way.

"I'd sooner kiss a hippo's butt," Keilah growled indignantly.

_Can we see that happen in the near future? _Bima asked in the tone of one close to bursting out laughing. A hollow click came and the lock flipped open. Then, so suddenly it made them all blink with surprise, the lights blazed on and the door was flung open.

"Glad to see your smiling face, you old scarecrow," Raph quipped at Nechai as the man jumped at Don, who was messing with the computer systems. The purple clad turtle whipped out his staff and parried a super-powered punch, flipping the bo up and catching him in the shoulder.

"Mikey! Get Raph and the kid untied so we can get out of here! It's too small for much combat!" Leo barked, jumping at Keron, who had joined the one-sided fight again his brainiac brother.

"I resent being called a kid!" Keilah yelped, wriggling in her ropes.

"Brought ya something, Raphie," Mike said, grinning from ear to ear as he took out a pair of red-wrapped Sais. His brother smirked as he sliced through the bonds and handed him his weapons of choice. The newly freed turtle burst out of the cell as though shot from a cannon, clocking Keron hard in the jaw.

"That's for that punch ya threw me earlier!" he bellowed, grappling with the huge man on the floor.

Keron rolled off Raph and stood, winding up. "Yeah, well I don't appreciate being paid back for it, so have another!" His fist glanced off his target's left arm, courtesy of a reactive dodge.

_Come _on_! Can't you untie me any faster? _

"Hey, well I'm not exactly a Boy Scout!" Mike complained, biting at the knot in frustration. Finally, he said "Oh!" and pulled out a shuriken, slicing the ropes off with a sheepish grin.

"_Tatsu Morph!_" Keilah yelled, Bima's immense frame filling the cell in the blink of an eye.

_Good grief, it's stuffy in here! Lemme renovate! _The dragon inhaled thunderously and blue flames exploded from her jaws seconds later, taking out the adjacent wall and the bars in front of her.

"Crap! The dragon's out!" Keron growled, throwing Raph into the wall. "Tiquae's not gonna be happy if it escapes!"

"I know that, you giant oaf!" Nechai snarled.

_Let's just say I don't _care_ what this Tiquae says, _Bima said, turning. She rammed the wall, cracking it and raining blocks of concrete down from the ceiling. _One more should do it! _The next blow sent her sprawling out into the cool night air. _Aw_riiiight!_ We're out!_

**_Let's get out of here! _**Keilah shouted, pressing her desire to leave on Bima's mind.

_Everybody hop on, the Dragon Express is leaving! _The first to come was Mikey, who clearly wanted nothing to do with the fighting. He clambered on to the dragon's back, followed by Don who hopped in a more dignified way. Raph and Leo kept Nechai and Keron back with aggressive strikes from their weapons. _Did you not _hear _me, stone ears? _Bima cried, lashing her tail. _Move! _The two turtles obliged, diving out of the way of a fireball that smote the wall with such heat that the steel supports weakened and the hole collapsed.

"I doubt that'll hold them for long," Leo said, reluctant to board their ticket out.

_**Who cares? By the time they get out we'll be gone! **_

"Not if we have to get the Battleshell out of here too," Don sighed grimly.

_The Battle-WHAT? _

"It's an armored car Donnie tricked out, with _my _help of course," Mikey bragged.

Bima looked slightly annoyed. _Look, sword-boy, get on or I swear I'll leave you right where you stand. We can search for the Battle-whosi-what's-it from air. _The turtle finally gave in and clambered on. The silver-blue dragon unfurled her wings and flapped down, hard. _Ugh, _she grunted between wing beats as she lifted away from the concrete, _what _do _you eat?_

"A healthy diet of pizza with all the fixin's!"

_No wonder you're all so heavy!_

"Like I said, it's muscle mass," Raph retorted, looking down. They were about twenty feet up by this point and steadily rising.

_**Okay, Purple, what's the Battleshell look like? **_

Don leaned over Bima's back and nearly fell off, saved by Leo's quick reflexes. "I parked it in an alley somewhere around two blocks away – Uh-oh. Can you fly a bit faster?"

_You four sumo wrestlers are slowing me down, it's not my fault, _Bima quipped. _Why? _

"Because I don't think that those two are going to let us get away that easily with you in tow. Look!" The turtle pointed down toward the rooftops. Keron and Nechai were jumping across alleys, every now and then looking up to spot their target. The big man was armed with a large AK 47 strapped on his back.

**_Uh-oh. What are we going to do about that gun? _**Keilah asked nervously.

"We could always _fall on our knees and scream for mercy!_" Mikey wailed in a feminine tone, clutching his head. Raph slapped him in the head with his palm, eliciting an indignant "Hey!" out of him.

"When we need ya to break a few windows, we'll tell ya!" Raph growled, withdrawing his hand, and looking down in turn. None of his brothers same his cheeks bulge and his face turn several abnormal shades of green as he righted himself again.

Leo looked down at their pursuers as well. " If we're lucky, we won't have to get on the roofs anyway," he said. "Dragon –"

_Bima, if your _highness _pleases, Mr. Stick-Up-His-Butt. _Mike sniggered and Don hid a smile as Leo gritted his teeth.

"Fine. _Bima, _you can attack aerially, right?"

_Who says I feel like it?_

"You can. Alright, Mikey and I will distract Two-Ton down there. Don, you and Raph look for the Battleshell."

**_And we get Scarecrow, _**Keilah said maliciously, rubbing her hands together. **_This'll be fun._**

"Hey Leo, why can't I bash in Gun-Boy's face?" Raph growled.

"And why do I have to distract him with you?" Mikey squeaked, hands up to his mouth as his teeth chattered.

_Enough debating, sumos, the Dragon Express is about to collide with a wall! _Bima suddenly dove with frightening speed, roaring thunderously as she swooped in over the rooftop. _Gangway, blockhead! _The dragon ran into the surprised Keron, cannoning the man backward into a wall. Her passengers hopped nimbly off of her back and ran in separate directions; Raph and Don to the right to search the alleys, and Leo and Mike to distract Keron. Bima shook her head and veered around sharply.

Nechai saw where she was aiming and dodged herrazor-sharp claws as they raked across the roof, leaving deep gouges. "I'm not letting you get away," the hawk-nosed man snarled as Bima landed with a heavy thud.

**_Last I checked, it was US who ran into YOUR buddy, not the other way around, _**Keilah said tauntingly. Bima lunged at him like a striking snake, barely missing his stomach with her fangs.

Keron got up with a growl and took out his gun. Mikey gulped audibly. "I don't appreciate any more than the next guy being bashed into a stairwell, and I'll show you what I do to those who manage to knock me over!" He aimed at Mikey and began firing the AK 47. Bullet holes gored the roof as the turtle jumped out of the way, yelping.

"Y'know, in my defense, it was _HER!_" he squeaked, pointing at Bima.

The dragon spat a fireball at Nechai, who escaped with singed pants. _Let's try that again, shall we? _

**_Have a little fire, Scarecrow! _**Keilah cackled, imitating the Wicked Witch of the West from the _Wizard of OZ._ This time Bima got him right in the rear with a little flare, burning his pants open.

_Nice boxers, _Bima taunted, sticking out her tongue as the man gave her an icy glare. _And racing stripes. _Keilah howled with laughter as Nechai bared his teeth.

"You've insulted me for the last time, dragon!" He darted at her, throwing a variety of punches and kicks at her scaly armor.

_What are those fists made out of? STRAW? _Keilah began giggling again, but the mirth died off when Nechai dealt Bima an especially powerful kick to the chest. The blow sent her reeling back into the stairwell, making her crack her horns on the bricks. Fissures snaked across the brickwork as the dragon got on her feet. _Now THAT was cheeky, Boxer Boy, _she growled, nostrils streaming black smoke.

Leo tackled Mikey out of the way of another spray of ammunition whizzing from Keron's gun. "Mikey, focus!" he yelled, jumping up and shoving his brother to avoid another round.

"I'm being mentally and physically abused!" he shrieked, huddling on the roof.

The blue-clad turtle's head snapped up as Keron stopped shooting long enough to give him a fierce uppercut in the jaw. Airborne, Leo plummeted back down only to meet his fist again, this time in the stomach. There was a loud hiss and a blue fireball hit the giant in the back, setting him on fire.

Down on the road, Don and Raph finally found the Battleshell. "Lemme drive!" Raph barked, leaping into the driver's seat. His brother scrambled into the passenger seat just as Raph wrenched the key around to make the engine turn over. The armored truck roared to life. He slammed his foot down on the gas pedal and the Battleshell made earsplitting noises on the damp pavement before shooting out of the alley and speeding down the near-empty road.

"Raph, are you nuts?" Don squeaked, belting himself in as the driver made a sharp turn.

"No, I ain't, now call the guys! We're blowing this Popsicle stand!"

Up on the roof, Leo struggled upright and dove aside to miss being pulverized by a spray of bullets. He had been caught off guard, but it wouldn't happen again. Coolly he wiped away a thin line of blood from his jaw and took out his swords, sprinting toward Keron.

"Ah, good grief, my shirt's wide open to this blistering cold wind!" the man whined, sticking another round of bullets in the roof.

"How about we make a basement window?" Leo yelled, slashing his belt in half. His pants fell down unceremoniously around his ankles and bright red discoloration found its way up his face.

"Why you little…" he growled venomously, boxers fluttering in the biting wind. Behind Leo Mike was laughing almost hard enough to split his shell open.

_What is this? A lingerie party? _Bima asked slyly, raising her eye ridges.

**_Eeew…_**Keilah said, wrinkling her nose.

There came a deafening honk from the blacktop down below. "That's Raph and Don! Finish Scarecrow and let's get out of here!" Leo bellowed, dealing a powerful kick to Keron's midsection and sending him almost off the roof. His quick reflexes latched him onto the edge of the building.

_Your wish is my command, sire!_ Bima swatted the distracted Nechai aside with a giant paw, rocketing him into the already terribly abused stairwell. _Hop on! We'll fly in low! _Mikey boarded more than happily and Leo jumped on with ease. The dragon crow-hopped to the edge of the building, sending small tremors through the surface of the roof. _Bottoms up! _With that phrase, she dove off the roof, flaring her wings to soften the scream of the wind. _You guys got a skylight in that car of yours?_

"Yeah, why?" Leo yelled back.

_**I think I know what's she's gonna do…**_

_Hey Purple, open up the top! _Bima said mentally to Don as she flew in close over the armored car.

**_Aw, crap. _**The door slid open.

_Tatsu Reverse! _Mike and Leo found themselves riding on Keilah's back now, and they dropped through the Battleshell's opening due to her obvious lack of wings.

"Nice entrance," Don said dryly, closing the skylight.

"I hate you, Bima, do you know that?" Keilah groaned, shoving Mike off her back. Leo had been the quickest one off.

_Hey, it doesn't have to be fancy. What gets ya in is good enough._

Mike looked out the small, triangular window and groaned. "Raph, there's some dudes who don't want us to leave the party," he said, pointing at the black shapes vaulting across the rooftops.

"Foot!" Leo growled. "I should've know Shredder was in on this!"

Don scratched his head. "Now wait. Why in the world would Shredder ally himself with those two guys back there?"

_Well, let's see…you DO have a dragon in your vicinity; that's all you need to go on, really._

"So lemme get this straight," Raph grunted. "Shred-head wants to use the power of five dragons to take over the world, am I right?"

_Darn straight. If I were a megalomaniac, that's what I'd do. Who's this Shredder, by the way?_

"An alien in a tin can," Leo grumbled. "Sticks out every thing we put him through and then some. Having an enemy that's practically immortal gets really annoying."

_Huh…alien in a tin can, eh? _Bima mused. _Sounds familiar, but I guess I'll have to wait on that._

Leo looked out the window and narrowed his eyes. "Don, they can't land on us when we're going this fast, can they?"

"If they have Foot robots equipped with rocket launchers they can stop us dead in our tracks. They wouldn't need to land on us…but otherwise, no. Why?" Don asked curiously.

"I think I see your Foot robot," Keilah gulped.

Raph muttered a curse under his breath. "Great, can this day get any worse?" At that moment a deafening thunderclap boomed overhead.

"You always have to jinx it, don't 'cha, Raph?" Mike groaned as rain came pouring down in sheets. Fat drops the size of minnows spattered on the windshield.

"Raph, if visibility gets any worse for us, we'll be sitting ducks!" Don told him.

"Yeah, well if they wanna bite, we'll bite back!" Raph smacked an obnoxiously large button on the dashboard with a fist, initiating the lowering of a target screen. "Donnie, lock and load. Blow those bots out of the sky."

He grabbed the screen but all the same said, "Raph, what if I hit the building? There's innocent people in there!"

"If ya haven't noticed, I'm going toward the junkyard. You can blow them to smithereens there." Don sighed audibly.

_What the heck is a missile? _Bima asked.

"It's a long round thing that flies toward its target and explodes on impact with something hard," Keilah explained.

_Huh. I need to get out more._

"Hang on, everybody!" Don yelled, locking onto a robot as Raph made a donut in the junkyard mud. Leo and Keilah both grabbed at something but Mike fell unceremoniously on his rear. The missile fired off the Battleshell, hitting the targeted robot in the chest. It fell into a pile of trash in ruins.

"Oh crap!" Raph smashed the breaks, tires whirling almost uselessly in the slippery mud. He franticly twisted the steering wheel left to avoid an explosion in front of the vehicle. It responded sluggishly. The mud erupted in a geyser in front of them, spattering the windshield. "Great! Just great! How the shell am I supposed to see where I'm driving?"

"Windshield wipers! WINDSHIELD WIPERS!" Mike squealed, ducking onto the floor as another explosion rocked the vehicle. Raph obliged, the wipers scraping along the glass. The rain helped it along. And what they saw did not help the situation. They were in point-blank range of a missile gun barrel.

"Raph! TURN!" Don yelled, smashing another button with a fist. There was a soft humming and the passengers not belted in flew back into the door. Keilah slammed into the switch that opened it, sending her rocketing out. Just in time she grabbed out at the door, latching onto the handle as the Battleshell swung crazily, jet propulsion thrusters screaming.

_Can't you AIM when you fall? _Bima cried.

"I'd like to see you do better!" Keilah retorted back, hanging on for dear life as Raph did a sharp turn. By now the rain had soaked her to the bone and her grip was slipping. "Somebody help me!" she screamed in panic, now sliding off the door. The girl chanced a look back and saw a robot hovering behind the armored car, reaching for her with its claws. Just as it took a swipe at her legs, Mikey leapt out of the Battleshell and cracked his nunchakus on the glass, shattering it.

"Grab my hand!" Leo yelled, stretching his arm out to her. She reached. His hand seemed painfully far away.

Suddenly her hand slipped off the handle. Keilah would have fallen into a pile of sharp, fragmented glass from broken TVs had Leo not snatched her arm. Holding onto the rim of the door, inch by inch, he pulled her back in. "What about M-mike?" she stammered, suddenly now very cold.

"I'm handlin' it!" Raph roared, doing a large U-turn. "Hey brainiac, switch off the thrust! I can't drive for beans if I'm going this fast!"

"We'll need the extra speed!" Don shouted back as Leo pulled one of the back doors shut and draped a worn wool blanket over Keilah's shoulders.

"Raph! Get me close to the robot!" Leo yelled over a clap of thunder that had come after a bright flash of lightning.

"Better yet, I'll _get _the robot!" Raph growled, accelerating toward the robot that Mike was fighting. The turtle had a most disturbingly grim look on his normally carefree face as he dodged the attacks of his opponent while kicking away Foot ninja. His mouth moved as he yelled with the impact of each blow he gave out.

_MIKEY! MOVE! _Bima roared at him, knowing full well that a verbal command would never reach him in time. He looked up, startled as a deer in the headlights, and dove aside as the Battleshell plowed into the robot, rendering it completely useless as it flew back into a junk pile. Several ninja were knocked onto the ground, none of them even breathing. Lightning fast, Leo grabbed his brother by the belt and with his muscles screaming in agony, yanked him in and shut the door.

Mikey groaned and fell onto his stomach. "Man," he panted, "remind me never to play hero again."

_You couldn't save a slug from its own slime, _Bima quipped. The turtle yelped a "Hey!".

Leo collapsed on the floor, his entire upper torso throbbing from the effort of fighting increased gravity. "Mike, don't scare us like that!" he hissed. Mike grinned at him.

Don looked into his passenger mirror and grimaced. "There's one more robot plus several more Foot ninja. We're not out of the woods yet."

"Blow 'em up. I'm tired of dealing with those sissies in black pajamas," Raph growled, making a beeline for the junkyard entrance. Don made another face and targeted the remaining robot. With a sense of finality, he smacked the button that released the missile and watched as it ripped the hunk of machinery into smithereens. The ninja were nowhere to be seen.

"Phew," Don sighed, switching off the thrusters. "What a night!"

"You're telling me," Raph grunted right back. "Getting knocked out, wakin' up in a cage, escaping from a bunch of thugs, and havin' a mad car chase in a thunderstorm…I swear I've seen everything."

Keilah gulped and shivered, her hair dripping steadily of rainwater. "Thanks for saving me," she said with a small hiccup, directing the gratitude towards Leo and Mike.

"Howzabout a kiss for your knight in shining armor?" Mike asked with a grin, sitting up. She gave him a disapproving frown. "Oh, alright, I'll let it go this time." He pouted at her.

Leo sighed and stared at the ceiling, listening to the rain drum on the metal. "We're going to have a lot of explaining to do."

"Why, how long have we been…" Raph began, glancing at the clock. It read three thirty-three. "Aw crap. I've been gone for a grand total of seven hours." He could envision coming home to an irritated and worried Splinter. Usually they were only out on patrol for at least four hours, from nine to one.

"We can't head immediately for the sewers. That'll lead them to our home," Leo mused.

"You live in the sewers?" Keilah asked incredulously.

"What's it to ya?" Raph shot back.

She glowered at him. "Nothing."

He shook it off. "Raph, drive around a couple more blocks," Leo grunted.

"Yeah, sure, Mr. Paranoid," he grumbled, stopping at a red light. The car next to them throbbed with heavy metal music. "Geez, ya think they could turn it up any more?" the turtle asked distastefully.

"Some people like it loud," Don said with a yawn.

"I hope his ears burst." Raph turned at the light, going down a quiet street. Little did they know that car followed them at a distance. After several rounds of driving around the part of Manhattan where they lived, he turned onto Eastman, the Battleshell rumbling tiredly as it came upon its old warehouse. Don quickly ran out into the pouring rain and wrenched the door up. It slid with a rusty whine, resisting his efforts as best it could, but it gave way eventually. Raph stepped on the gas and eased the vehicle inside the warehouse as Don closed the door again.

Leo got up wearily and opened the hatch of the old armored car, breathing in the stale air of their makeshift garage. "Well, here we are," he sighed, getting out onto the cool, oily concrete floor. He helped the shivering Keilah down and assisted Mike as well.

_Now what? I thought you bums lived in the sewers. _

"We do." He walked over to an empty space of floor and tapped it twice with his fist. Then he backed away as a soft hum rose and the concrete opened, allowing a strange, alien capsule to rise above it. The door opened with a hiss.

_Okay, that's just freaky._

"It works better than slogging through the sluice," Don said wryly.

…_Well, shut my mouth._

All five piled into the glowing elevator.

* * *

Wow! I went overboard with this one! Hopefully I can begin wrking on the next chapter very soon.

Ashite Imasu,  
LN


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Nobody pay any attention to these next updates. I figured I'd just release the old version upon you poor people whilst I brainstorm for the rewrite.

**5.**

Splinter's sensitive ears twitched as the familiar sound on the elevator door opening met them. He opened his eyes and got out of his meditating position, picking his stick up. He carefully opened and closed his door behind himself as five figures walked out, laughing. That would be his sons. But the fifth…she did not seem familiar at all. The rat heaved a soft sigh. Another visitor. This was getting slightly out of hand.

His second oldest son, Raphael, caught sight of the bemused rat and waved. "Hey, Sensei! Have a nice meditation?"

Splinter stepped gingerly off the level and fixed stern eyes on Raph. "My son, where have you been? Why did you storm off in such a manner? You had us all very worried!" The turtle's face darkened as he remembered Leo's spat with him and fell silent, staring hard at a choice spot on the floor.

The girl piped up. "He was…um, trying to 'save' me." She raised her fingers in quotes. Mikey snickered, covering his mouth at an unsuccessful attempt to mask his laughing.

A mental voice ripped through Splinter's mind. _Hah! Save Keilah?! More like I saved you, little turtle man! I get no proper introductions around here!_

Raph crossed his arms. "Aw, put a cork in it, Bima." he muttered darkly. "Is that all you can do? Blab your gob off?"

_Blab my gob off? Who's blabbing now, keratin back? _Bima made a face and stuck out her tongue in her mental shelter.

Raph growled. "If you weren't in Keilah's mind, I'd rip your heart out, talking handbag that you are!" Keilah wrinkled her nose in the displeasure of being in the middle of it all.

Finally, after a couple more insults, she'd had it. "Tatsu morph!" Splinter was half-blinded by a flash and when it subsided, saw a silver blue dragon standing in her place. **_Now you guys, go get reacquainted. I'm not coming out until you do._**

Bima stomped up to Raph's face and nipped his snout. _Hah! Now we're even, fork belt! _The turtle took out his Sais and snarled ferociously into the dragon's face. She smirked at his effort and gave a little laugh. _That all you can do, paper lungs?_ She then sucked in air and prepared.

Don clutched his head and ran for shelter behind a pillar. "Duck and cover! She's gonna blow!" he yelled. The mutants scattered and stuffed pillows over their snouts as Bima unleashed her putrid wrath into Raph's horrified face.

He staggered backward, rolling his eyes in disgust and coughing. "Oh man! What'd you eat last time ya had dinner? Fish and garlic? Peeeeeyoo!"

Bima snorted with chuckles as he writhed on the ground, groaning. _Your breath would smell bad too if you hadn't eaten for a millennium, chucklehead!_

Splinter stood from his shelter behind the couch and made a loud clearing of his throat. "Pardon my intrusion, but who are you?"

Mikey made an unwanted wisecrack. "She's bad breath vengeance! She's the horror of the dinner table! She's—Ow!" Leo flicked him hard in the head to quell his growing speech.

**_You're so bothersome, Mikey._** Keilah moaned. **_Show some respect for the old gal!_**

_What did you say, impudent little human?_ Bima snarled good-naturedly.

_**Oh, Bima, can't you take a joke? If I wanted to say you were old, I would've said crusty old codger or something like that.**_

_I swear, you Americans have no respect for your elders! Back in Japan, I was considered good luck!_

"Must've had a famine for as long as you were alive, then," scoffed Mikey.

Bima shot him an icy glare. _Shut it, water boy!_

"Ahem!" Everybody glanced sheepishly at Splinter, who tapped his foot with bottled up impatience. "I would like my question answered, Bima." She sat with a thump, nearly flattening Raph, who rose with an indignant frown on his green face.

_Oh, fine, Splinter. Though I hardly think you'll find it interesting._ The sewer rat gave her an 'I beg to differ' gaze. _Okay. Gotcha. Well, it goes like this. I'm a dragon spirit from Japan, and I used to live with four other brothers and sisters in a cave above a rice paddy. An old guy by the name of Ling Pi decided he didn't like us on his property. Turns out he was some kind of magic master and he was ready to solve his 'problem' with a few words and poof! There we were, locked inside different tablets. He scattered us around the world in hopes that we'd never visit him again. Now, I think that's a bit touchy. I mean, please! We were livin' in a cave! Y'know, dark, drippy, full of bats! _

Splinter rubbed his chin in deep thought. "So, you say your siblings are still hidden? What would stop those men from finding them?"

Don's head jerked in surprise. "How'd you know, Sensei?"

He smiled wryly. "One can tell a great many things by looking into a person's eyes, Donatello.?" Don's jaw dropped in amazement.

Bima snorted. _It's easy to read minds! Why, Mikey here says that the rat is too serious and needs to get out more often. _The turtle paled before he sprinted to his room, trembling in subission to Splinter's 'anger'.

"Is there a way that you can know where your siblings are?"

_Hmmm….yeah, I know where they are, but it won't do me any good. They'd need carriers to…_Her eyeridges lowered and a small knowing grin played on her lips.

Raph's eyes widened and he took a few nervous steps backward. "Oh no…" Bima suddenly charged forward and snatched his shell rim in her teeth, hoisting the protesting turtle into the air. With a growl and a shake of her prize, she charged out into the surrounding sewers, the loud stomping of her feet echoing off the walls.

Splinter and the rest of the brothers gathered in bewilderment at the entrance to the sewer tunnels. "Where'd they go?" whispered Mikey, chancing a peek out the door.

Splinter smiled grimly. "They are off to find one of her brothers in Canada."

"CANADA?!" The turtles bellowed in indignation.

"But Sensei! He's in Canada, which is several hundred miles north!" yelled Don. "She doesn't know where the heck she's going!"

"Actually, she has some sort of detector implanted into her memory. If one dragon is freed, then that dragon could find the others, given the carrier."

Leo scratched his head. "So, wait. You mean to tell us that Raph is going to be the first of us to go?"

"You make it sound like a bad thing, Leonardo."

Mikey clutched his head in mock drama. "What if I'm next? What if Splinter's the only one left? We're all doomed!" A quick cuff to the head by Don's hand solved his sudden bout of hysteria.

"I can only hope that Nechai and Keron don't know of this."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**6.**

Bima rumbled out of the sewer tunnel with all the noise of a frieght train and Raphael, who was currently complaining hotly from his position in her mouth, threw a few angry punches at her muzzle. They missed by a mile, which set the dragon off chuckling at his helplessness.

"Put me down, you overgrown water moniter! Put me DOWN!" Another tighly clenched fist was easily dodged. The infuriated turtle was jiggled back and forth as Bima looked around the open sewer canal. Raph crossed his arms and muttered dark promises at the reptile who currently held him by the shell rim.

_If I were to let you go, and I'm not saying I will, you'd run away. _The two companions didn't have much time to get out of New York, as flying in broad daylight looked somewhat conspicuous.

"Is that what I am? An animal—WHOA!" Bima took off into the air as he finished, startling the red-banded turtle into snarling visciously. "Put me down I said!"

The city lights below dimmed as the first rays of dawn peaked the skyscrapers. _If I put you own now, splat! You'd be scrambled eggs._ The dragon quickly gained altitude until they were roughly 200 feet above the highest building.

'Raphael the Fearless and Raging' dangled like the baby in the stork's bill, eyes widening slightly in fright and nausea. "Uh, B-bima? Any chance I c-could get on your back?" The far-below roads and alleys blurred as he became nervously dizzy.

A loud sigh escaped the dragon as she replied. _Thought you'd never come outta my mouth! My jaws were starting to ache from clamping down on your rock hard back. Remind me to carry your brothers a different way so I won't get a sore mouth. _She hovered in midair for a moment, stopping only to deposit Raph onto her scaly back. He appeared greatly relieved and edged further up until he was by her neck, wrapping his trembling arms around it.

Chancing a nervous peek over her side, he immediately regretted it and gritted his teeth. "I just found I'm not fond of flying." With that remark, he turned an interesting shade of green and leaned over her back, vomiting into empty air.

Bima observed the shapeless blob with something close to disgust as she watched it plummet to the road below. _I pity the fool who finds a gift a little bigger than bird poop on his windshield. That's just sick, Raphael. _He wiped his mouth and nodded pensively in agreement as he tasted the sourness of bile. She wheeled North, away from the metropolis that he knew as home, and toward the actual state of New York.

It took maybe five minutes for Raph to regain whatever dignity and courage he had left. "Where are we going, Bima?" They were over the river now, the sun casting a pale shadow on the surface.

_Canada, to find one of my bros. You'd like him. I've gotten more creative insults from him than you. It's no wonder I picked you._

Raph froze. "Wait….he's going to be released…into ME?!" He fell silent in pondering what his response to this new fact would be as Bima flapped steadily.

_Got a problem with that, iron guts? _she retorted, purposely rolling over in the air. Raphael tightened his grip on her neck as she righted herself again.

His cheeks bulged once more and he hurled over her side. "Nice one, Bima! Now I've lost my lunch _and _dinner!" He spat out bile into a cloud of fog that was just now receding from the bay.

Meanwhile, back in New York city, Don was having the time of his life watching some hotshot in a suit swear loudly at the 'sick eagle' that'd 'pooped' on his BMW. The turtle knew that, in reality, it was too chunky and colored to be a bird waste product. Therefore, Raph had gotten airsick.

He chuckled from his seat on the balcony railing. "I never knew. Raph afraid of flying? This'll be a story for the guys!" Reaching into his belt pouch, he pulled out his Shellcell and dialed. It rang three times before being answered by Leo.

"Hey, Don, got something on Raph?"

Donatello almost fell over in shock as he heard the buisnessman utter several unheard-of combinations of cuss words. "Boy, do I ever. I haven't found him, no, but I found something else." He could practically see Leo raise his eyebrows. "Raph puked and it landed on some guy's car. If he's not pissed, I don't know who is!"

A chuckle sounded at the other end. "I'd have never known Raph was airsick. Guess he's alright, then. Come on home, Donnie." Leo hung up.

At the moment, Raph was actually doing better. Bima had flown to a small, unoccupied hole and widened it into a sizeable cave near the river.

_We'll stop here for the afternoon. I'm beginning to dislike your sudden sickness. _Bima let the turtle tumble off her back and groan as she settled down in a cozy corner.

A yawn echoed through Raph's mind. **_Ahm….oh, that was a good nap. Tell me, what're we doing?_** Keilah asked.

_You mean you were asleep the entire time Raph had his first date with barfing? Ooh, that was somethin' else! _

Raphael shot a sickly glare at the smug dragon. "Button your beak."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**7.**

It had been almost ten minutes since Bima had landed near the river bank, and Raphael was getting restless and hungry.

Raph's stomach grumbled loudly and he sighed. "Hey, Keilah?" Her response was a sleepy 'Eh?' She'd just switched places with Bima, who was now taking a nap in her mind. The turtle patted his complaining tummy. "Think we could go get some food?"

She stared hard at him. "You wanna go out in public? I beg to differ. "Raph groaned as she ticked off all the reasons not to go out on her fingers. "Number one, there's a possibility of Nechai and Keron prowling about and because of Bima's carelessness, your bros aren't here to save you this time. Number two, you're a freak, Raph. Think walking around in a crowd while it's broad daylight is a good idea?"

"You're jus' as bad as Splinter." Putting his hands behind his head in a relaxed gesture, he winked arrogantly. " But, you forget. I'm a ninja."

"Yeah, and ninjas stay in the shadows, and, if you haven't already noticed, there aren't too many of those in the daytime." Raph got up and stretched. Anybody who knew him well enough was aware of his incapability to stay in one place for a long time. She shot him an icy glare as he edged toward the exit. "I said no, Raph. It's not safe."

He narrowed his eyes in defiance. "Y'know, now you're startin' ta sound like Leo. Lay off, I'll be okay." Keilah made as if to stop him, but he was already gone.

At the lair, Don was having some difficulties keeping Mikey under control. Leo and Splinter were doing katas in the dojo, so he was on his own.

"For the final time, Mikey, stop bothering me! This is delicate work!" He stuck out his tongue, working the screwdriver into a circuit. "I'm trying to upgrade the BattleShell, so if you would just—"

"What's this thing?" Mikey held up a device that fit neatly onto your hand, a button on the top for use. He was about to press it with his thumb, when Donnie snatched it from his hand.

"Don't touch that! It's a magnetic disrupter and it'll fry whatever circuits are in the room! Now, please, leave! I need quiet!" He pointed a finger to the door. His younger brother sighed and trotted out, rubbing the back of his head.

He turned around. "But, Don, I—" The door had already been slammed shut. Mikey felt unwanted and annoying as he picked his way down from the train car. He plopped, rejected, onto the couch in boredom and turned on the tube. The screen flickered before shutting down completely. "Not again!" he moaned, pitching the remote to one side. "TV's busted and Don doesn't want anything to do with me."

Rising from his seat, the turtle's gaze rested on the dark opening of the sewer tunnel. "Might as well do some skateboardin'." With that, he sprinted to his room, appeared with an orange hoverboard that Donnie had made by salvaging Utrom technology, and jumped upon it. Mikey mashed the heel button and zoomed out of the lair with a whoop. Unknown to the eccentric partier, he was being watched.

Raph peered around the corner of the wall, ducking a passerby's overly curious glance. "Darn, where's a pizza guy when ya need one?" He turned around with a frustrated growl and a rumble of his empty stomach. The mutant started walking to the emergency ladder to continue his search on rooftops. A single leap had him on the iron rungs and climbing with the agility of a spider monkey.

Raphael vaulted onto the hot roof and jumped nimbly around, trying to minimize the burning sensation as much as possible. Finally making it to a shady spot under a stairwell, his feet felt an overwhelming sense of relief. "There's another reason we don't cavort about in the sunlight." the turtle muttered sarcastically to himself. He took a breather and was soon doing the same routine of hopping about like a scalded frog and yelping softly as the sun-warmed bricks stung his tootsies.

For a strange reason, hunger's intuition nudged him to the edge of the building, where he sighted his target. "Bingo! Pizza, here I come!" He sprang into a nearby alley and waited like a leopard seal for a penguin. As soon as the man carrying the heavenly box was near, Raph pulled him in and knocked him out with a flat blow to the back of his neck. He opened the package and gave a groan of displeasure. It was pepperoni. Still, he reasoned, it's better than nothing.

Closing it once more, he left the guy in plain sight before retreating up the ladder, box of pizza balanced on his hand. "Ouch! Owowow, hot hot!" he squealed, jumping in different places. Each patch of shade along the way to the bridge was a savior to his sore feet. Raph could almost see the steam rising from his feet as they cooled off.

The home stretch. The hotfooted reptile prepared to dash across the buildings, gritting his teeth. A war cry and a few yelps later, he was on the ladder, grimacing in pain. He slid carefully down before landing on the grimy alley ground. He eyed the bridge railing and made sure no one was on the way before vaulting over it and landing nimbly in ankle deep river water.

Sloshing loudly, he struggled to the muddy banks, searching for Bima's hideout. Raph's search was rewarded with Keilah's frantic face peeking out of the tunnel. He smiled and leapt into the shadows. Keilah was going to get a bit of a scare. Before he was even two feet away, she lunged toward him and, of course, missed the red garbed ninja as he sidestepped.

"Nice try, kid." She rose indignantly, her brown hair full of dirt as he chuckled and entered their cave. Raph plopped down in the center as Keilah brushed out her hair with her fingers.

She sat down, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. "How'd you get the pizza?" she asked as he offered a slice with a displeased face. "Oh, don't tell me," she groaned. "You knocked a guy out and stole his pizza, is that it?"

He shot a glare at the diapproving girl. "Funny how annoying that mind readin' thing gets."

Bima chuckled groggily, proof that she'd only just woken. _Oh, get used to it, Raph. Your bros will be feeling the same way when you're stuck with Rijinn. _

Crumbs spewed from the turtle's mouth as he chewed thoughtfully. "They won't have long to complain. Pretty soon, Splinter's gonna be the one who's being mindread."

_I pity the fool who gets Iwansi. She's gotta be the peppiest and most annoying person you'd ever meet, although I have to admit, she's a good fighter when she's not making jokes about someone who particularily stands out. _

"I know a brother who fits that exact description: Mikey."

"Stop bein' such a sourpuss. Bima's got more sibs than that, and boy, will they bother you to the moon!" gruoched Keilah. "From what I've heard, Saesha, Bima's youngest sister, is gloomier than a stormy day in Florida, while Kiyo's got more of a quiet personality."

"'Xactly how many sibs you got, Bima? Ten?" Raphael spat out an olive slice that had intruded onto his cheese when the pizza had been assembled.

The dragon snorted impatiently at the task of having to recite them again. _I practically just listed them off for you, Raph. Kiyo, Rijinn, and Saesha. How many is that, O Wise Scholar of the Sewers? 3. Any thickheaded lump would be able to figure that out. _

Raphael stopped eating a fourth piece of the Italian food. "You callin' me dumb?"

_Hey, you're not exactly Albert Einstien either, egghead._

While they continued to insult each other, Keilah proceeded to pilfer a pizza slice and take a large bite. "Oh really? Since when do you know of Albert Einstein? The guy wasn't even alive when you were still young!" scoffed Raph, pulling out a Sai and stabbing it into the soft, loamy soil of the banks.

Bima leapt to her feet and screwed her face into an ugly snarl. _Info gets around! And are you still trying to say that I'm a crusty old cheezer? Take it back! _

"Never even mentioned crusty old cheezer, although now that I think 'bout it, the title fits you just fine!" he sneered. Bima decided to take things up a level and turned around, waggling her rump mockingly in his direction of mind. "Why you…"

Keilah stood, finally deducing that this war had to be stopped before she was forced to let Bima out. "Alright! Break it …um, up." One hand was keeping the enraged turtle from tearing the invisible dragon apart, while the other supported empty air. She felt slightly sheepish looking at a culprit that wasn't present to receive punishment.

The ground outside began taking on a reddish pallor as afternoon started to die. Luckily for the three travelers, it was closing in on winter, which meant that daytime was growing shorter. Keilah sat Raphael roughly down like a punishing mother. He'd noticed the daytime's ending and had went slightly pale remembering his last encounter with flying.

Keilah saw him staring at his toes uncomfortabley. "Looks like eating wasn't such a good idea. Seems you'll just be tossing your cookies again."

_And another unfortunate person will get an untimely Christmas present on his windshield,_ Bima muttered, voice dripping in dread-covered mirth. _Ohoh, I wish I could've seen the guy's face when he got a large, chunky gift._

Keilah stretched for a final time. "I guess it's about time for you to start. Only good thing I can say about you, Raph, is don't look down."

"Oh, that's real helpful…" he moaned, clutching his flip-flopping stomach.

"Tatsu morph!" Bima appeared seconds later, refreshed and wanting revenge for earlier comments. **_No, Bima, he's gonna be bad enough as it is, _**Keilah repremanded.

_Fine, _she grumbled, letting the trembling reptile clamber onto her back between her wings. _But, I want him to know, I will get him back for calling me a crusty old cheezer—_

_**Just start flying!**_

_Okay, okay, no need to yell. _


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**8.**

"Hey, Master Splinter, have you seen Mikey anywhere?" Don scratched his head, stopping himself from bowling the elderly rat over. He ran almost headlong into his Sensei, who was coming back from his training session with Leonardo. "I think it's been three hours since I last saw him. He might have gone somewhere to…pout. I kinda got mad at him for messing with my inventions and stuff."

Splinter shook his gray head slowly. "I have not, my son. He could have gone on that contraption that you built out of Utrom technology. You are aware of his love for…'kicks', as Raphael so eloquently puts it." He thumped his hairless tail on the floor, and positioned himself so he could freely lean weight on his walking stick. Needless to say, Donatello appeared anxious and guilty of hurting his younger brother with words.

The turtle snapped his fingers as it dawned on him. "Of course! He went hoverboarding! Should've known!" He scampered happily back to his lab, all the worry disintegrated. Splinter heaved a sigh as he watched him go.

At the moment, Mikey was having the time of his teenage life. "Yahoooo! COWABUNGA!!!" Dodging a pipe, he rocketed down the tubular sewer tunnel. He pulled a three sixty and shot backwards, neatly landing on the railing and skimming it. This action made his orange bandanna tails flap wildly into his eyes, making him fumble blindly at them. Once uncovered, they brought him a message: you're going to crash. The protruding pipe came at him at an amazing speed as he prepared to dodge. "WHOA!"

Mikey expertly flipped his hoverboard and landed softly on the ground, plastron protecting his ribs. The turtle rose and glanced around. "I dunno why Master was always talkin' about safety measures," he muttered, retrieving the invention from where it had slid. "We turtles basically have built in chest protection and our heads are as hard as rocks. Least Raph's is." After a close inspection on his entertainment, he finally deduced that his hoverboard had a couple scratches on it, but was otherwise fine. "Phew! Donnie would've been pretty mad if I'd damaged this thing."

Once again, he mounted it and mashed the heel button, shooting forward at an exhilarating speed. "I'M COMING HOME, DONNIE!" he yelled, disappearing as he turned the corner.

"Oh, brother, Bima! You could've warned me that it'd be just a teensy bit cold up here!" Raphael chattered, wrapping cold arms around his body. "Geez! A turtle pop is what I'll be in a few minutes!"

Bima passed another peak of the Appalachian Mountain range. _Quit your complaining. Be happy that we've made it this far in five hours. By morning, we should be close to the Great Lakes. _

"Oh boy! Freezing water's just what I need right now!" he mumbled sleepily. The drowsy turtle started to slide off the dragon's back, when she noticed and caught him with a paw as he started to plummet. He woke up with a sudden jolt and stared in nameless horror at the ground, hundreds of feet below.

_It's not good to sleep on the back of a flying reptile, Raph, _she scolded. _In case you haven't noticed, we're rather slippery. _

He waved her off in half consciousness. "Jus' wanna sleep…"

Bima jerked him back to wakefulness with a shake. _No, Raphael. Don't sleep at this temperature, it'll be the death of you. I should find a place to sleep for the night anyway. _The red garbed turtle nodded groggily as she landed on the flat mountainside with a thump. _Okay, now I'm basically a living heater, so snuggle up real good. _He complied willingly and was soon snoring softly at her belly area. She covered him with a wing and stared at the stars as he slept on.

_Rise and shine, hurl boy! _Bima rapped his snout sharply and he jumped up with a pained yelp, rubbing the tender spot. The mountains were just giving way to moon and stars. _You were out all day, sleepy head. If you weren't tired, I don't know who is._

Raphael worked a sleepy out of his eye (A/N: A sleepy is one of those things that you find in the corners of your eyes after waking. At least that's what my family calls it.) "Aw, not again. Do we hafta travel at night?" He let out a surprised yell as Bima hoisted him gently onto her scaly back.

_I'll fly lower today. Temperatures usually drop drastically when at high altitudes._

The turtle wrapped his arms around her neck as she flapped her wings. "Gee, ya think?" he grumbled, rubbing his frozen hands.

"Guys! I'm hoooome!" Mikey called as he shot through the doorway, hoverboard tucked under his arm.

Don ran out of his lab, his face the picture of relief. "Mikey! There you are!" He stopped, embarrassed and ashamed, suddenly kicking the ground as the younger brother approached. "Sorry that I yelled at you. I was feeling sorta…I dunno how to put it…grouchy."

Mikey held up a hand in reassurance. "No prob, bro. I know I get annoying sometimes. Heck, even Master Splinter thinks so."

The rat smiled a little reprovingly. "I most certainly do not think you are annoying, your spirit is merely not easily doused."

The young turtle waved him off as he traveled to his room. "Yeah, right. Means the same thing, Sensei."

A greasy voice came from the doorway, surprising the three mutants into whirling around in horror. "On the contrary, I do not think he is annoying, he is quite useful." Standing right there, in the entrance to their lair, was a man. He gave them the feeling of dirtiness as they eyed him suspiciously. He was dressed as Keron and Nechai, only had a couple differences. His eyes were dark blue, flashing from side to side as he observed Leonardo bolt into the main chamber and growl loudly at the intruder. Long black hair was fastened to the back of his head in a ponytail, extending down to his midback.

Splinter watched with unnerving calmness. "And who might you be?"

Mikey pointed an accusing finger. "You extremely uncool dude! You're in league with those cronies, Beevis and Butthead!" Don tried to keep a straight face as his brother continued to hurl insult after insult. "Following me here was a huge mistake, Bucktooth! We have a ninety-pound weapon of mass destruction at our disposal that we like to call, 'Dear old Dad'! So do your worst, Mister Party Crasher!" As a finishing touch he threw a triumphant smirk at the man and whirled a nunchuck around to show he had skills.

'Uncool Dude' took everything with silence and bowed mockingly when Mikey finished. "Excellent insults, my dear boy, but my 'cronies', as you call them, are not Beevis and Butthead."

"Duh! That was the entire point, thickheaded piece of Jell-O! It's called creativity, which you don't seem to have!"

"Jell-O is a food that you refrigerate."

Michelangelo fumed at being outfoxed. "You're getting on my nerves, dude."

"I hope you know that I am not tap-dancing on a part of your body at this moment. Nor am I a hair on an elephant's butt."

Silence reigned until Mikey blew a gasket at this guy's cheekiness. "All right, you asked for it!" He charged, and to the untrained eye seemed completely invisible, but the other mutants watched carefully with restrained anger as their younger brother (or, son to Splinter) was easily and effortlessly knocked out with a swift, well-placed kick to the side of the neck. He toppled to the floor with a muffled groan and was quiet.

Leonardo was at his throat in five seconds, roaring like an animal. He offered a little more resistance than Mikey, but he too soon fell, unconscious, with a bruise at the base of his skull. Now Donatello and Splinter the rat circled cautiously, remembering how fast his reflexes were. The remaining turtle blinked once and was greeted by a battlecry from his elderly master.

Splinter blocked a lightning fast punch with his walking stick and was equally matched by his opponent. "What do you want?" he asked at the slightest opening for breath. The man gave no answer, dodging retaliation and repaying with similar ferocity.

Finally, after knocking the ninja master to the ground, he replied, "You freaks of nature are a nuisance and are interrupting my plans for world domination."

Donatello muttered, "It always has and always will be either world domination or utter destruction of Earth."

Splinter regained his footing and smiled grimly. "I am getting old, it seems. But, I believe I have an idea of what you are after: the dragon spirits. You failed to reclaim Bima's, did you not?"

The man seemed to have had enough of talking. "You know too much, old one, and that is why you must die." With a loud yell of desperation, Don intervened and saved his rat master a fatal blow to the head with his Bo staff, which quivered under the force of his punch. "Well, it appears that you all love each other very much. Yet, I do not see where the other is."

Don knew exactly what he was trying to do: infiltrate and learn where Raph was without having to torture a soul. "Gotcha there, Knockout champ. Do you honestly think I'm stupid enough to fall for that little scheme? It's always the villain's goal to get info without using force. Mikey's read and told me about enough comic books with that exact plot in it, smart one. No information's leakin' from me."

The turtle was thrown away with a snarl and the man advanced on injured Splinter. "I suppose it will be better if I kill you in a more humane way." He dealt the rat a flat blow to the head, which resulted in the inevitable groan and thump of a limp body hitting a hard surface.

Donatello's eyes widened in horror. "You…you..why..?"

The man started walking to the horrified reptile. "Two simple reasons: one, you are all in my way and must therefore be disposed of. Two, your brother is on his way to getting a dragon spirit. If any of you were to get the third, it would mean destruction for my cause." He had arrived at Don's feet. "But, I will be kind and knock you out so you don't feel a thing."

Don jerked out of his shock and stood fearlessly, narrowing his eyes in heartfelt loathing. "Just try it, Hotshot."

"Just so you know, I am not 'Hotshot'. My name is Tiquae, even though it was not necessary to tell you this."

Don took a fighting stance and snarled. "As if I even care about your stinkin', crappy—" That was the very last thing he said before tumbling into black oblivion.

Tiquae kicked his motionless form gently before planting a bomb on every support pillar in main chamber of the lair. He took a last look at their bodies before shaking his head ruefully. "Shame, really. That Michelangelo put up a good battle." The man exited the lair, pressing a button on a detonator that had appeared in his hand. An earsplitting boom was heard, and the sound of falling rubble echoed around the sewer tunnels as Tiquae walked casually out into the open canal.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind..

**9.**

_Here we are! Lake Ontario. _Bima landed heavily on the damp sandy beach of the immense lake, as wide as the ocean at first view. Raphael tumbled off her back and proceeded to run franticly to nearby bank rushes to do…er, his buisness. _Ahhh. The sky so clear, the water so blue…I could stay here forever. _She stretched her wings happily and snarled at some ducks nearby, which took off running and squawking crazily.

Raph patted her scaly rump. "Keep dreamin', old fart. You're one rib short of a barbecue." The turtle, satisfied at the fact of being empty, closed his eyes and was suddenly knocked over by Bima's thick tail and pinned.

She bared her teeth playfully in his face. _Old fart? Hmmm, lessee here…I have been through your mind, searched it thoroughly, and found that you are deathly afraid of bugs. _The dragon snatched an overly curious dragonfly out of the air with a gentle claw and held the wriggling thing near petrified Raph's face.

He squirmed even more desperately as the hated object traveled ever closer to his trembling beak. "I ain't afraid of bugs, jus' can't stand 'em. Stoppit!" She, out of the desire to see him suffer, brought it until it was two inches away. "Yarrgh!" With the strength of hysteria on his side, he threw the muscled tail off him and dove into the cold water headfirst, fish scattering fearfully away from his juggernaut body. Raph surfaced a bit later to see Keilah rolling on the ground, roaring with laughter.

The grouchy turtle trudged out of the water and into the bushes, where he found a willow tree and leapt into its leafy boughs. "Laugh all you want, I'm sure Rijinn will tell me what _you're _afraid of." Sulking, he drifted off to sleep as dawn peeped over the horizon.

Don rammed the wall of rubble, harder this time, yet it seemed as feeble as the first. He panted and wiped his perspiring forehead. _This is hopeless_, he thought, again throwing his body weight against his small, egg-shaped prison. The turtle sat for a moment to regain his composure as he almost broke down. _Why'd I let him get that opening? Why? I could've taken him easily! It isn't fair! _He punched the rocks in frustration.

A muffled whimper came through the wall to his left. "Donnie…Leo…help me..I think I broke something." Shifting dust was a sound easily recognized by Don; it meant that Mikey was trying to dig himself out. Michelangelo sucked in a quick breath in pain. "I can't take it anymore, guys…it hurts..ugh…" There was a thump, then silence.

"Mikey!" the older turtle yelled in concern. He glanced franticly around the small space, and finding nothing to unearth his brother, attacked the walls with his bare hands. "I'm coming! Hang on!" Don later felt like an idiot for calling that, because the obvious fact was that Mikey was out cold. His efforts proved futile and his rare temper surfaced. "WHY CAN'T I BREAK THROUGH A STUPID WALL!?" He screamed angrily at his helplessness and sat down, hugging his bruised legs.

Donatello nearly shot into the ceiling with shock. _Oh, I know it's hopeless. I've been saying that for hundreds of years now and it isn't getting any better. Each and every day, I watch drop after drop of sewage fall onto my prison. How I wish Bima were here..she'd know what to do. I guess we'll both just sit here for eternity, eh little green man? _A sigh and an incoherent mumble followed the voice.

The temporarily ecstatic turtle pawed at the walls. _Just tell me where you are! I can get you out, given the time! _Don was the first to mentally contact this dragon, it seemed, for it just sighed again and an image of the small lavender reptile appeared in his mind. She scratched at her chin and lay down.

_Oh, I don't know. You seem pretty weak and nerdy. I guess you can try. Right. Above you, old champ. Dig away. _Don glanced around, and by some stroke of pure luck, found his Bo staff half-lodged in the rubble behind him. He crawled to it and wrenched his beloved weapon out, throwing a truimphant smirk at the ceiling as if saying, "Gotcha now!".

He stood and began pounding a rhythm into the roof, raining dust and pebbles upon his domed head. _I..can't…believe …Bima didn't get..your signal. She completely missed you by a mile. Said she wanted to go get her brother. _Don's hits jarred his speech, making him pause momentarily between every hit. _I'm going to assume that you're her younger sister._

She yawned as he continued his fevered assault. _Oh, yeah. There are five of us. Rijinn, Iwansi, Bima, Kiyo, and I. I am am Saesha. I assume that she went for Rijinn first. Those two are like puzzle pieces. Can't have one without the other. I'm sure you already know how we came to be, so I'll just tell you where I was this entire time. _Saesha scratched her chin out of forced boredom as she continued conversing in her liquid voice._ The man who locked us in tablets sent me to the network of pipes between ground level and your roof. Apparently, I arrived when those baldies still hung out here, so when you moved in, I took you to be survivers from the Underground city. It passed enough time just watching them communicate with their pals and observe the human race. A pretty boring existence if you ask me. _Don fell forward with a surprised yell as his Bo staff shot through a hole in the ceiling.

There was a distant rumble. The bewildered turtle inched away from the hole's line of fire as rocks plummeted. A loud crash followed the pillar of dust that rained down, accumulating the air. In a crater formed by its impact, lay a glowing stone tablet. In the confines of Don's dome, it was as florescent as a light bulb. The Japanese lettering was shining bright lavender.

Don drew a shaking finger across the ancient artifact, whistling out of astonishment at the calligraphy used. "I haven't seen this form of Japanese lettering for a while now. I believe I last saw it during my time as a ten year old. My, but it stinks! Phew!" He tumbled backwards holding his beak and screwing his eyes shut.

_I'm surprised, Donatello. After living in the sewers for fifteen years you say this stinks? Well, the tunnels outside must be perfume compared to this old thing. _Saesha muttered sarcasticly. _I bet you're not exactly roses and lilies either._

The stricken turtle waved his hand dramtically to decrease the effect of the stench. "Well, yeah! It does stink like crap, but the sewers don't smell like perfume. And I take a shower every day! When was the last time you bathed? A thousand years ago?"

The lavender dragon yawned for what Don believed to be the fifth time. _Actually, yes. You wouldn't expect me to have a bathtub in my prison, now would you? And it wasn't supposed to be considered an insult, young one. Now, are you going to sit there gaping like an angler fish, or are you going to let me out? It's not every day I get a breath of fresh air._

Donatello grumbled good-naturedly as he slid forward. "You're starting to sound like Bima. Alright, Miss Smart Alec, what do I do to release you? I've already tried touching it."

Saesha scratched a symbol into the white dreamworld floors absently. _Duh. There are words for each and every action that we do. Tatsu morph, which you already know lets us assume physical form, Tatsu reverse, which allows the carrier to return, and Tatsu absorb. Now then which of those is most logical, hm?_

Don found himself starting to dislike this dragon's cheekiness. "I'm not stupid, Saesha. I know how to count and make choices. Whadya think I am, a newborn?"

_Precisely, young 'un. And don't you call me an old know-it-all either. Nothing that you can think is safe from me, sir._

Almost biting the tablet out of strong frustration, he grouched, "Maybe I shouldn't release you. After all, you're being so cheeky and disrespectful…" He started inching away.

She sighed in utter misery and defeat. _Oh, I suppose. You do understand that I've been locked up with no conversation for a millennium, right? _

Don returned in a tizzy. "Yeah, whatever. Now, er..ahem!" He cleared his throat the straightened an imaginary tie.

_Just get on with it and quit being so formal! _Saesha roared impatiently. The turtle nearly fell over at the force of the mental shout.

"Fine, fine.." Don placed a hand onto the glowing tablet, muttering sheepishly at the choice of words for such things as releaseing a thousand year-old spirit. "I feel like an idiot..TATSU ABSORB!" His hand stuck to the lettering like a sheet of flypaper as the lavender light traveled up his arm and slowly inched toward his head. Donnie gritted his teeth as Saesha entered his mind, observing all the 'books' and 'genius notes'. Finally, he was allowed to rip his hand free and flop to the ground, panting.

_Well! So I get the smartie of the bunch! Figures. Alright, Donatello, are you going to let me breath a little? There's no way you'll get out of here with your bare hands. I, on the other hand, have claws. _It took a moment for Don to remember Mikey, unconscious on the other side of his chamber.

"Aw, shell! Poor Mikey has a broken leg! If that goes unfixed, he'll—"

_There's where I come in! Hop to it!_

He rolled up his invisible sleeves. "Fine, fine. Raph saw Keilah do this first. What'd she do?"

_Well, you hold your hands together above your big domed head. A fireball, colored according to the dragon's hide, forms involutarily in your grimy paws. Once that happens, you just say Tatsu morph. Is that so hard?_

"Actually, yes, when you're five feet tall and the ceiling's four and a half." Saesha groaned and smacked her forehead with a massive paw as he nodded importantly at his own good logic.

_Not only is he a genius, folks, he's also a world renowned smart alec! Why me?_

"Only I have license to say that. Not you."

_Oh boy, Iwansi, where are you? I need you to annoy this guy outta his huge mind! _Don snickered as she continued to mutter in exasperation. He held up his hands in whole-hearted surrender after a couple of particularly stinging insults.

"Okay, okay! I'm doing it! Sheesh…Tatsu morph!" The fireball that had formed in his hands ignored all the laws of physics and floated down, striking him in the plastron, and disappearing. He felt his mind being tugged away from his body, which was glowing blindingly.

_Now my favorite part! The mind swap! _It was as if Don's body had exploded. In its place stood Saesha, stretching happily. Don could now see that she was a bit of a runt, being only half the size of Bima at three feet. She also could stand on her hind legs, if needed. _Ahhh! You have no idea how good this feels. However, I think it's time we got out of this cramped space. _

It felt strange to Don not being able to speak out loud. **_Aren't you a little..small to reach the ceiling?_**

She glared ruefully at the rubble. _Yes, but curb your manners. I can dig. So, exactly where is this brother of yours located?_

**_To your right, I think. _**That was all the lavender dragon neeeded. With a soft snarl, she trotted to the wall and began digging deep gouges with her sharp silver claws. It wasn't long until she broke through and tumbled into a bigger chamber. On the floor lay Mikey, out cold and twitching in pain. His left leg was stretched at an awkward angle, twisting like a knot on a log. **_Oh, gosh! Poor Mikey…looks like he's got a break at the shin. Oh well, he'll get out of training temporarily._**

Saesha gently pulled the unconscious turtle onto her back, grunting from the effort of having to lift a larger body onto her's._Oof!What does this lad eat? Ten pounds of sushi a day? _

**_Only Master Splinter eats sushi. Mikey here eats pizza. I don't think he's that heavy._**

_Says the guy who's five feet tall. _She slithered back out of her improvised burrow, once again facing the problem of the rubble blocked ceiling. _Okay. Since I can't reach, I'll just use my secret ability. It's been a long time, though and I'll be a bit rusty.. _Saesha muttered to herself.

Don was confused.**_ Secret ability? Does Bima have one?_**

_Hmm, yeah, but it's not what you'd call a secret ability. She's able to swim underwater without taking a breath._

**_Why didn't she use it at the warehouse, then? _**he mused.

_I expect she forgot that she had one. Here we go! TELEPORT! _Donatello felt like he was back at the Utrom facility. One moment, they were just standing there, Mikey, Saesha, and he. The next, they dematerialized and rematerialized on top of the mountain of rubble covering their home. _Ooh, that was exhilarating. Now, let's try and find your other brother and Sensei._

**_No! _**the turtle suddenly exclaimed. **_If Mikey's break goes unfixed, he'll have a limp for the rest of his life. I need to get to my lab. _**Hope radiated from Saesha, who started walking in the completely opposite direction. **_Not you! Me. How could you set a bone with those kitchen knives?_**

She stopped and sighed longingly. _Oh, alright. But I've only been out for five minutes. When you're done putting a cast on him, we'll go find the others. Is that okay? Or are you going to bite my head off for the suggestion?_

**_No, no, it's fine! Just get on with it!_**

_Now look who's impatient…_the dragon murmured, earning a mental glare from Don. _Tatsu reverse!_ Don fell to the floor a few seconds later, weighed down by Mikey's limp form. _Serves you right, heartless little.._

He forced it off of him gently, picking him up again and trudging slowly to the half buried railroad car that served as a lab and infirmary. "Okay, Mikey. We just gotta set that leg and—"

The bundle in his arms moved as he woke up. "..Don?" Mikey wriggled slightly in excitement. "Where've you been, Donnie? And…how'd you get outta that pile of mondo icky junk?"

Saesha polished a claw on her chest in boredom. _That'd be me. _The younger turtle nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the dragon's mental voice, which resulted in a jolt of pain that lanced up his left leg.

Still, throughout the agony, he still remained humorous. "Oh man! Don, don't tell me you picked up one of them old crusties too! Geez, and I thought Bima was bad!" He slapped his forehead in mock wonder. "And..hey, waittaminute! Why didn't Bima sense you? She went all the way up to Canada for a bro!"

_I expect is it because Rijinn doesn't like to be away from her, evn though he doesn't show it. Those two are like cookies and milk. Can't have one wothout the other. _Don climbed the steps to his lab slowly, trying to minimize Mike's pain as much as possible.

He set his younger brother on a surgical table and began rummaging around in his medical cabinet. "Aha!" He produced some plaster and a pile of gauze. "Okay, Mikey. This'll hurt a little, so hold still." Don gently grabbed the striken leg, extracting a whimper from Michelangelo. First he had to set the bone correctly, and that needed X-rays.

"Darn! I wonder where that portable X-ray machine is…I know I put it around here somewhere. I just used it for Leo's broken finger a while ago." There was a crash, a colorful stream of curses, and the techieturtle emerged from a nearby closet, promptly apologizing to Mikey for his language. In his hands was a pair of high tech goggles, which he fitted onto his head. "Lessee if this thing's batteries still work..and I wish I had a light!" Answering his own demand, he flipped on the light switch, resulting in both brothers blinking like owls.

"Gee, Donnie! Ya could've told me to close my eyes! I'm blind!" Donatello fumbled furiously with the on button for the x-ray machine. Finding it at last, he cautioned Mikey not to move and to shield his eyes. Then, it went click. Don hooked up the invention to his computer, which was currently turned off. He kicked the CPU and it started up with a few clanks and groans.

A few seconds later, the screen had been filled with a picture of Mikey's broken leg. It had been smashed in two places: ankle and shin.

"Duuude.." Mikey breathed, inching closer to see his broken appendage. "That looks like it hurts!" After stating the obvious and receiving a 'duh!' glance from Don, he rolled his eyes and shrugged.

Saesha butted into the conversation. _Of course it would hurt! You have it. Now, Donatello, would you be so kind as to set his bones right? I want out!_

Don began mixing the plaster in a large bowl. "Patience! Putting a cast on isn't all gumdrops and lollypops!" He lifted the concoction to the table, placing it next to Michelangelo, who gazed into it curiously. "Now, this is going to hurt like the Dickens, Mikey, but I need you to stay as quiet as possible, 'kay?" The younger brother responded with a half-hearted gulp and a nod. "Alright, here we go…"


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**10.**

Soft footsteps rebounded off the walls of Oroku Saki's room. He opened an eye in partial iritation at the disturbing of his meditating. "This had better be good." He flexed his hand impatiently as a figure stepped out from behind a pillar and bowed respectfully.

"Greetings. I have returned."

The Utrom in disguise formed a growl through the hidden speakers in his robot's mouth. "Oh. Tiquae. You'd better have a reason for intruding."

The man advanced coolly on the cross-legged person. "I believe you gave me an assignment two days ago. I am here to receive payment."

"I assume, then, that your mission was successful?"

A nod. "Yes. It was as easy as shooting fish in a barrel. They were completely unawares. I followed the one called Michelangelo to their hideout and knocked all of them out cold." Oroku raised a pensive eyebrow at his obvious pause. "Donatello offered more resistance than any of the others."

Tiquae made a face as his employer gave him a tight smile of grim amusement. "Really? I would've thought the rat" (here he spat, in public loathing for his adversary, on the ground) "gave you most of the trouble. It seems I was mistaken."

His associate rested his hands behind his head in a relaxed, arrogant gesture. "Actually, I believe he's getting old and ricketey. I _was _going to kill him, but that cursed turtle blocked my strike with his Bo," Tiquae snarled in distaste. "Quite surprisingly, he was lighter than he looked and was easily knocked away."

Oroku remembered something and frowned. "I thought you had two men with you before."

Tiquae waved it off. "They're trailing that other freak to Canada. Seems he and that dirty dragon spirit Bima are getting the second one." He scratched his chin stubble doubtfully. "But, when in the turtles' lair, I could've sworn I felt another dragon's presense…"

"And exactly how did you end up finishing those mutants?"

He grinned. "How else? The gruesome way of the bombs. No one could survive an explosion that came from every possible angle of a room."

Oruku cracked a knuckle, lost in thought. "I am not so sure. They've lived through an explosion before." April O'Neal's antique shop incedent came back to him in a flash.

"Trust me, my somewhat paranoid friend. They're dead and gone."

"I hope, for your sake, you're right," he growled under his breath.

At the moment, Mikey was feeling very much alive and kicking. The kicking part came from Don's perspective. "OW! Geez, Donnie! I feel like you're tearing my entire leg off!" he howled in a high-pitched voice. Pain shot in stabs up his broken leg as it jerked involuntarily.

Donatello winced as the leg hit him in the shoulder and hissed crossly, "Be quiet! By now, all of New York could hear you! So zip it!" _What I wouldn't give for some sedative…_he muttered inwardly.

Saesha was having as rough a time as her turtle host. _Just you wait. In a few seconds, the entire S.W.A.T. team will be pouring in here like ants. _She cringed and covered her long ears as Michelangelo released yet another screech to add to their growing collection of the 'Highest/Loudest Sounds in the World'.

"Man, Mikey, you beat the fighter jet by a longshot! Still, it doesn't compare to the annoying sound of a microwave timer." Don mixed the plaster solution in a large bucket. "Okay, Mikey, settle down. I'll try something different." Tears sprung unbidden to the pained turtle's eyes as he bit his lip to keep from crying out. "Now, what I'm going to do is gently bind your leg all the way up above your knee in gauze; tape will hold it in place. Next, you're gonna hafta put your lower leg into this.." He glanced at the plaster. "…uh, white..stuff."

_Wow. The great Don's at a loss for words, _Saesha said dryly, observing Michelangelo's face as Don began wrapping his leg.

If she'd been in physical form next to him, he would've glared witheringly. "Hush, Saesha. I don't have time for that, I need to concentrate." He twirled the gauze around his younger brother's heel, checking his patient every now and then. He stepped back after securing it with surgical tape. "Alright, Mikey. I'm gonna start the first layer. Put your leg, nice and easy, into the bucket of goop."

The cool mixture soothed his ailing limb and he sighed as it soaked his makeshift bandages. "Exactly what do I do, dude? Let the stuff harden so I have a block for a foot?"

Don didn't have the patience for this. "No, dolt. Take it out and let it dry." Mikey started to pull it out. "Not yet!" The activity stopped.

After about one minute, Mikey's uncertain peep broke upon his ears. "Don? Can I take it out now? It's getting hard." His only response was a weary 'Yeah'. Once he had his foot out, he tried in vain to wiggle his two toes. "Uh, Donnie? Any chance you could uncover my toes? I can't move 'em."

"Uh-huh," he murmured, not entirely on the subject, eyes half-closed. Don began to doze off.

"YO! Donnie! Wake up, dude!"

He jumped. "Eh?! What? What's wrong?"

His brother responded with a smack of the forehead and a low groan. "Boy, you've had it today, Don. My toes. Can you cut the plaster off so I can feel them?" Don nodded sleepily and went to his 'Magic closet', as Raph called it. He emerged with a small knife and proceeded to carefully saw at his covering. "Careful, Donnie. I don't wanna be a one-toed turtle."

"I am!" he snapped, pausing in his activity. Don saw the hurt look in Mikey's eyes and sighed. "Sorry. I'm..just so tired. I really wish Leo were here."

_Oh, he's probably dead by now, considering he's buried under a pile of rubble and the fact that you're too involved with your crippled brother. _Both turtles glared daggers at their mind image of Saesha, who scratched her belly in boredom. _I bet Splinter's dead too, _she muttered, avoiding the brothers' glares of hatred.

"Ya know what, Saesha? Shut your pie hole. I've had enough of your needless banter. Splinter and Leo _are _alive! I feel it. So be quite before I glue your mouth." Don finished slicing the plaster off of Mikey's now trembling toes.

"Dude, I was positive that you'd maim me!" He pulled his leg up and gingerly examined it. "So, the plaster's dry, now whadda we do, Dr. Don?"

"Another layer." Mikey stifled a disappointed moan as Don forced his leg back into the bucket of the mixture.

Something stabbed Raphael in the shell. _Oh, for the love of fish flakes…GET UP! _The force of the mental shout was so great it made Raph tumble head over shell out of his tree and onto the damp ground of Lake Ontario. His eyes shot open and he regained his footing only to find Keilah in front of him, tapping her foot with a wry grin.

Raph rubbed his head and growled, "Geez, I was havin' a nice nap! Can't ya leave me alone for at least eight hours?" He observed with some annoyance that it was still the late afternoon.

Keilah crossed her arms. "Well, unless you'd like to be caught by wandering tourists, be my guest, o hairless one." Once it got through to him, Raph realized that she made some sense. There were multitudes of people flocking to the banks of the immense lake, some brandishing fishing poles, and others a, easel and canvas.

"Good point, scale back." The turtle refused to let Keilah have the last insult and grouched at the base of his willow as she scowled in mock anger.

"Aren't you the charmer?"

"Couldn't care less if I was, lady."

Bima intruded without warning. _Raphael! We need to go now! _Her voice was unusually serious and grave. _We don't have much time, so move it, Keilah!_ she hissed.

Positively mystified at her reasons for being such a worrywart, Keilah shrugged. "Why now?"

_Because, I don't want to make you guys scared, but…we're being followed by Keron and Nechai! _she bellowed.

Both human and mutant froze in shock. The next thing that happened was a blur. Keilah shouted "Tatsu Morph!" and Raphael hopped onto Bima as soon as she was visible.

"Okay, okay, let's go! Don't dawdle!" Raph yelled, pounding her sides.

Bima bared her teeth in a silent dragon laugh. _Why should I fly?_

"Because we're about to be killed, idiot!"

_Oh, that!_ Bima took flight lazily, gaining altitude at three feet per second. _It was motivation to get going._

"MOTIVATION!?!?" Raph's jaw dropped as Keilah began shouting at the pranking dragon.

**_That is not something to laugh at! What were you thinking?! That's scary when you do that! Don't you ever do it again!_**

Chuckling uproariously at her own joke, Bima started for the border of Canada.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**11.**

Bima was about to head to Canada's nearest border, when her head suddenly snapped to the left. She hissed in surprise and stopped her ascent, instead changing into a steep dive. It was all Raph could do to keep from shouting in shock.

"_Are you out of your mind?! What are you doing? I thought we was headin' north!" _he yelled mentally.

The turquoise water of Lake Ontario kept coming faster. _Unless you want unneeded eyes on you, you'll keep quiet, _she hissed.

"_At the speed you're goin' we're gonna get crushed!"_

_Nuh-uh! _The dragon banked hard to the right before smacking the water and landed with all the grace of a swan. Before Raph could take a breath, she went under, paddling swiftly to the bottom. Bubbles escaped his mouth one by one until he was absolutely sure he would drown on the back of a crazed ancient reptile. It was beautiful under here, he had to admit, but he wasn't looking forward to drowning.

"_I'm gonna have last say before I die of water in my lungs," _he snarled weakly as she grabbed the waterweeds with her claws. _"You're a two-faced, reptilian, long-eared, old scaly relic!" _Darkness was about to take his mind when he found he could breath as easily as if in the air. _"What the heck…?"_

Bima glanced backwards through the liquid at the bemused turtle, smiling. _I'm lucky I remembered my secret ability before long. As long as you stay on me, you can inhale air from the water as if you had gills._

"_Well, it would've been useful if you'd used that at the warehouse," _he muttered darkly.

_However, with the names you called me, I think I should leave you here._

"_Do it, and I'll stab yer hide with my trusty sai."_

_Go ahead and try it, hairless wonder._

"_Look who's talkin'!"_

**_Guys! Yoohoo? _**Keilah knocked both their mental heads with her hand, startling them back into reality. **_I'd like to inform you that a big mutant this way comes. Actually, I'm not entirely sure what it is, but take a look. _**

Raphael turned around slowly and came face to face with a small plesiosaur. He just froze in shock. It paddled gently toward him with its large flippers and gazed intelligently into his eyes. About four feet long in length, it had sharp predator teeth for catching fish and other delicacies. It's eyes were a bright yellow, slitted and wide for looking around underwater.

"_Oh my cod." _Under the circumstances, the expression fit rather well. Otherwise, Bima might have burst out laughing.

The plesiosaur (it made Raph jump) chuckled softly. _"Strange company you keep these days, Bimarousa."_ Both passengers on the water-breathing dragon stared, trying not to laugh out loud.

**_Bimarousa? That's a new one. What's next? Bimatussle? _**Keilah roared, tears running down her now red cheeks. Bima blushed out of complete embarrassment and hid her head in the mud like an ostrich.

Raph attempted to poke the tiny dinosaur, but it slipped gracefully away. _"I thought the dinos were extinct." _

"_All the landwellers died. They didn't know how to swim."_

"_Come again?"_

"_Oh, about 4,00 years ago, this huge flood came. Huge. As in, cover Mount Everest huge. I stayed hidden in the depths of the sea, but my buddies claim to have seen a big boat full of animals. I didn't believe them of course. Not too long ago, I found my way into this paradise."_

"_So, you're sayin' all that Bible hooey is true?"_

"_I guess." _

Raph snorted and decided to drop the subject. _"You're 4,000 years old, eh? Wow, and I thought Bima was ancient." _The dragon yanked her head out of the mud and scowled, giving the turtle a sharp rap on the beak. He rubbed it and grumbled something.

The plesiosaur bowed in the only way one can in water. _"It was nice to chat, Bimarousa, but I must go catch my dinner. Farewell!"_ He propelled himself like an arrow, shooting away from the group of misfits.

Raph tapped Bima on the neck. _"So, exactly what were you so worried about on the surface?"_

The dragon began sloshing slowly through the water. _Nosy fishermen. They're really abundant in these parts. _

"_Oh, is that all?" _He smirked.

_Shut up, beak boy._

Leo had no notion of where he was. At one moment, it seemed to him that he was dead. Pain told him otherwise. Darkness had filled his vision for nearly half an hour, as that was when he would guess he woke up. His right arm appeared to have a deep gash in it near the shoulder, and the blood flow was kept at bay with his hand blocking the laceration. Other cuts riddled his battered body in several places. He blinked and struggled hard against the large slab that pushed on his back. If he hadn't a shell, it would've crushed him by now.

The nearly unconscious turtle gritted his teeth wearily and gently pulled his bloody hand away from the gash. He was well aware that if he lost too much blood, he'd either faint or die buried in his own home. He refused to let it happen. Growling weakly, Leo groped around and found a comfortably long pipe with which to lever the big piece of sewer cement off him. He gave an exerted grunt as he pushed the grievance with his improvised weapon. With a soft groan of defeat, it flipped over and slammed into the ground, inches from him injured arm.

Leonardo stood shakily and bumped his head when he was no more than four feet up. He snarled something that would've shocked his brothers if they'd been there and probed the ceiling with his pipe, right arm dangling uselessly by his side. It wouldn't give, no matter how hard he pushed. Sighing, he fell back into a crawling position, flinching as a dull throb of pain came from his right arm. About three feet from his waking destination, he bumped into the wall with his beak. Rubbing it crossly, he pressed his ear to the obstacle and was surprised to hear a barely recognizable whimper on the other side.

There was no doubt. It was Mikey. He muttered excitedly and grabbed his pipe, using it to batter a small hole through to the outside world. Light flooded into his chamber through the heavenly escape route. He sat down to regain his breath when Michelangelo's cries were silenced. If Leo'd had ears, they would've perked up.

"Hold it, Mikey. I heard something." Don. The elder turtle in the chamber was sure of it. No other person could sound so calm in such a situation.

Leo almost groaned with annoyance as a mental whisper slid across his mind. _I'm sensing weak energy over to your left, Donnie boy. _Not another dragon, he moaned inwardly. I've had quite enough of those ancient lizards.

"Told you they weren't dead!" Donatello accused. With some difficulty, Leo was able to see what was going on outside his prison. Don was getting closer, the dragon in his mind poking him in the right direction. "Alright, Saesha, which one is it?"

The shimmering image of a lavender dragon appeared in Leo's fevered mind. _I'm not telling you anymore than this:_ _right in front of you, Sir Compass. _Don made a screwed face at her name for him.

"Sir compass? Where'd that come from?" he muttered as he stuck a hand through Leo's light source, temporarily darkening the room. The elder turtle gently laid his hand on Donnie's, resulting in a jerk of shock from his brother. "Three fingers.." he mused. It was as if a light bulb went off in his head. "Leo! Oh good gosh, I'm gonna get ya out, don't you worry!" He tugged at the rubble, only to have it stubbornly stay in place.

A hollow thump came to both brothers' ears. "Don? Who'd you find?" Mikey's left leg came into view, and Leonardo noticed, with a small amount of sympathy, that it was in a cast from the bottom of his foot to just above his knee.

Don pulled his hand out and turned to rebuke Mikey with all the worry of a mother hen. "You, Mr. Turtle, are supposed to stay on the table! I intend to keep it that way, so move your shell back to the railroad car!" Michelangelo thumped back to the metal table, murmuring darkly about a certain reptile that refused to answer his question. "If it makes you feel any better about me, I found Leo," he called to the sulking turtle. Mikey turned so Don couldn't see his face immediately brighten at this new information.

_What am I, chopped liver? _the dragon growled.

"I can do this by myself, Saesha! I..don't..need..your—WHOA!" Don's grip on the hole edges slipped and he ended up falling backwards onto his shell. Saesha began to chuckle as he stood and glared at empty space. "Not funny."

_You do need me, no matter how much you try to deny it. Admit your weakness. _

Don crossed his arms and muttered something indecipherable that Leo and Mikey couldn't hear, but apparently, Saesha could.

Why you cheeky little… 

"Don't even bother continuing with that sentence, Saesha. Tatsu Morph!" Leonardo was temporarily blinded as the dragon took shape. Once the light faded, he could easily see she was the runt of the litter.

_I heard that, smart one. _Leo silently cursed their mind reading ability as she began gouging the walls with her claws. The first thing he saw was the lavender paw adorned with silver claws. He took a quick glance at its configuration. It had three fingers and a thumb like a lion's. The claws were razor sharp, sharp enough to cut granite he would guess. The paw jerked back out for another forceful blow to the barrier.

**_Phew…almost through, Saesha? _**

_If I was going any faster, your brother would have dust in his eyes._

Leo tried his hand at speaking. "Too late," he croaked. His throat worked furiously to give itself moisture. Water was definently on his list of things to do. Amongst other embarrassing things, he also noticed that he desperately needed to 'pop a squat', as Mikey so eloquently put it.

_This is taking too long for my liking. Your brother will never get out at this rate. _The hole had been somewhat enlarged by her moving shovels, but Saesha began berating herself out of pure boredom with her task.

**_Well then put a little effort into it, shrimp boat! Now dig! _**Don commanded impatiently.

The dragon's next inquiry was directed at Leo. _Is he always this grumpy? He seems to need at least two days worth of rest. _Leo smiled as she started her next assault on the wall. After a few test strokes with her lethal claws, Saesha commented something in slight satisfaction and practically dove into the pile of rubbish.

**_Oh dear! Stop, this is too fast! _**The next noise that poor Donnie made told Saesha and Leo that he had went and hurled into a corner of her mind.

The lavender dragon suddenly tumbled through the roof, landing heavily on her back. _Oh, bother! I wouldn't be surprised if I broke a wing! And clean that mess up, Don A. Tello! Gross! _She stuck out a slightly pointed tongue as she scrambled to her feet. _How would **you **like it if somebody regurgitated in **your** mind? _Leonardo started to giggle, an activity that stung his gashed arm. _Are you laughing at me, young'un? _Saesha narrowed her purple eyes to slits as he sniggered.

He coughed suddenly, jiggling his injured arm. "Er, no." She dusted herself off absently and ambled over to the pain shaken turtle. Leo was about to comment on her size when she gave him a knowing death glare that made him think better of it.

Saesha poked his knee with a sharp claw. _If we're done silently socializing now, Don tells me he'd like to have a look at your ugly gash…and a urine test. _

Don turned white with embarrassment and rage. **_Saesha, you dirty little…I don't want a urine test!!! _**

If he'd been in physical form beside the dragon, oh the beating he would've given! It wasn't often that Don got cheesed off and when he did, it wasn't pretty. This was one of those times. The genius of the family uttered several colorful metaphors that shocked Leo before he remembered doing the same thing while trapped in this prison.

Saehsa clapped a paw over her ear and groaned. _Okay, I get it now! Sheesh…I wouldn't be surprised if your brother had an infection by now._

**_WHICH IS WHY I NEED OUT!!! _**Don thundered. He tapped his foot in irritation as the dragon stuck a finger into her ear and made a squeaking sound as she strove to hear out of it again.

_Darn you, I went deaf! _she complained hotly. _Next thing I know, I'll be blind and mute as well!_

"I, for one, would welcome the mute status," Leo grumbled, shifting his death grip on his arm. If looks could kill, Leo would be out in a millisecond.

_Is there even one of you who doesn't wisecrack twenty-four seven?_

**_For the love of Pete…_**

The dragon scowled. _Fine, Mister Sourpants! Tatsu Reverse! _The blinding flash lit the chamber once more and Don fell through the improvised skylight, landing on his plastron with a loud 'Oof!'.

Don rose onto his knees and rubbed his purple clothed forehead. "Oh brother, if you ever start flying while transforming back again, I will personally see to your skinning alive," he growled. Leo stood shakily, leaning against the wall for support. He suddenly felt woozy. Don's eyes fell upon him and immediately had the you're-hurt-and-need-dire-assistance-with-walking look.

_Hey, if you think I'm bad, wait till one of you gets Iwansi, _Saesha remarked, scratching her long ear with a hind leg. A random thought that sprang into Leo's mind was the fact that she looked like a flea-bitten cur dog. She stopped. _I heard that Leonerdo. _He blushed.

Don grabbed his good arm and steadied him. "Okay, Leo. We're gonna get ya outta here. Do you think you can get out the exit we—er, I mean, Saesha made?" He was about to say 'we' but got a say-it-and-I'll-annoy-you-to-kingdom-come glare from his compatriot. A silent nod was all he got before Leo grunted in pain and leapt for the hole. Don followed soon after, shaking his head at the vicious rebuking he was getting from Saesha.

As soon as Leo hit the floor, Mikey was on him like an anaconda. The hugs were squeezing the breath right out of him. "Oh, Leo! Hey dude! What's cookin'?" His eyes landed on the deep gash that was now seeping blood from the scab reopening, and he cringed. "Man, you get cut with a butcher knife or somethin'?"

Leo gently pushed his younger brother off of him and prepared to flip up. "Nuh-uh, Mikey. Dunno how I got it." Stars danced in his vision and he felt unusually hot. "I need some water before I faint, Mikey." He saluted and ran as best he could with his cast, stubbing it on random pieces of rubble that lay around on his way to the kitchen. Woe to the rocks that got in _his_ way. They were soon sailing all over the place, Mikey's dark mutterings echoing around the lair.

Don caught his older brother just as he began to fall from sheer dehydration and exhaustion. "Whoa, boy! You need that gash fixed, Leo, right after Mikey returns with the water."

_I seem to remember that the man caught the woman in a dance. Which one of you is the woman? _

She received a bone-chilling glare in return. "You're just off the charts on the annoying meter, aren't you?"

_If you think I'm bad, again, wait till you meet Iwansi to judge who's annoying and who isn't._

Michelangelo hopped clumsily over a rusty pipeline that had fallen from the ceiling, spilling a bit of the cupful of water he had. "Gotcha some water, bro! Drink up!" Leo accepted the liquid with unspoken gratitude as he guzzled it down, finally letting a satisfied sigh leave him.

Don appeared from his 'magic closet' with a bottle of opaque liquid and a couple of cotton balls. "Leo, I'm gonna have to clean that wound out, and I'm praying that you'll be at least a little quieter than Mikey here, who could've summoned a S.W.A.T. team." Mikey suddenly became interested in the floor.

Leonardo gritted his teeth and pushed himself into a sitting position on the metal table. "Oh shell, this is gonna hurt…" Don winced in waiting for the pained shriek to follow, but Leo remained silent; the only evidence of a sting were tears. He grimaced as he continued to clean the deep gash. It was large, going from above the elbow to the beginning of his shoulder.

Mikey started giggling for absolutely no reason at all. Leo and Don both exchanged puzzled glances until Saesha appeared in their minds, mimicking Don's every move with an extra swagger.

Leo licked his lips. "Have you guys seen Master Splinter?" The giggling stopped, as did the cleaning activity of his arm.

Don gazed mournfully at the pile of remaining rubble that was still intact from Saesha's imitation of a mole. "No, Leo. We were going to look for him, but I gotta clean and stitch this bad boy before he gets infected. Say, where'd Mikey go?" They looked around for their younger brother. "Not here, obviously."

"Hey, dudes! I found him! I found Master Splinter!"

Don dropped a cotton ball and sprang toward Mikey's voice. "I'm comin'!"


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**12.**

Raph dragged himself onto the lakeshore, spewing what he was sure to be ten gallons of water. "Oh man (cough) Bima, I never (cough) wanna do that again!"

Keilah appeared to be in a similar state. "Bima, you never told us that we'd actually inhale water!" Raph sat back, punched himself lightly in the stomach and burped a small minnow out. They both watched the fish flop feebly back to its home in the cool water. It was near dusk now, as most of the day had been spent walking on the bed of the lake and dodging various anchor chains. They'd come across more fish than either of them thought possible to live in water.

_You're alive, _she pointed out grumpily. _And stop complaining. If anything, I should be complaining. Who has to fly all the way to the mountain range? Tell me. _There was no humor in her voice. She seemed tired enough to stop insulting for a while.

"We could walk."

_A welcome suggestion! Keep your eyes peeled for Polaris and The Northern Cross. They'll take you where you wanna be._

Raph stood, pumped the last of the lake water from his stomach, and started trotting to the sparsely populated trees and bushes. After walking through a certain bush, he began to feel itchy. He didn't know it was poison ivy, so he scratched away at his legs, arms, and other male parts that are best left undescribed.

Keilah skirted the ivy and took a quick amused glance at Raphael, who was clawing his hand franticly, although fighting hard not to show it. "Somethin' wrong in Australia?"

The turtle stepped away from a tree that he had run smack dab into and began scratching his inner thighs. "I don't think so, why?"

She motioned, with a chuckle, to between his legs. "You're itching Down Under." Bima snorted as she giggled.

With some effort, he stopped scratching long enough to glare murderously at the self-proclaimed comedian. "Haha. Yer killin' me." The crescent moon cast pale light on their improvised path. It was an animal trail, one they were not likely to run into humans on. The irritating itch was becoming harder to ignore as they moved onward. "I'm startin' to despise this place."

Keilah ducked an overhanging branch. "Well, I like it. Quiet and the air's clean, unlike New York." She made a face.

Raph sat down and growled irritably at the ivy poison's effect. "Darned plants! I hate 'em! And who asked you to insult my home, nimrod?"

Keilah crossed her arms and frowned darkly at his comment. "Hrmph. Hey, Bima, I've got a mind to leave this annoyance here and fly away!"

_I'd like to also, but Rijinn wouldn't be very happy if we went all the way up here without a carrier. He'd call me a useless salamander. _Raph sniggered from his sitting position, only to have Keilah shove him into a nearby patch of gooey mud.

"ARGH!" The turtle wallowed in the sticky substance, throwing colorful curses at the girl, who was laughing uncontrollably. Suddenly, he stopped and sighed happily. Keilah also cut the giggling and scowled, wondering why her joke hadn't made him cuss for long. "Hey, thanks, nimrod! The itching stopped!" He rolled around like a pig and finally stood. Raph looked himself over with some amusement. "I look like the Mud Monster from Scooby Doo."

Keilah started moving on. "Fits you fine, the monster part." Raph scrambled to his feet and glowered at her.

Don dashed away from Leo with the speed of a gazelle. "Coming, master, I'm coming!" He found Mikey kneeling by a pile of rubble as best he could with a cast, cooing to the rat, who was rolling his eyes at him. "Oh brother." Don gently pushed Mikey aside, extracting an indignant yelp out of him. "Can you move, Sensei?"

Splinter was buried vertically waist deep, allowing him limited movements with his gnarled hands. "I would be better, my son, if I were not imitating an Egyptian mummy at the moment." Mikey heaved a belly laugh from the floor. "Where is Leonardo?"

"Over here, Master." Leo limped slowly to Don, Mikey, and Splinter, grimacing as his bandaged arm squealed its protest. Once he'd arrived, he took one tired look at Splinter and collapsed to the ground unconscious.

"Leo!" Mikey shouted, concerned. He crawled like a beetle to his wounded brother's side and stared at his now closed eyes. "What's happened to him, Donnie?"

Don knelt. "He lost too much blood. I'll have to put him on an IV to get him full of liquids again, 'kay?" He was wrestling Leo's body onto his shoulder, when a sudden and searing pain from his behind made him yell. "YEEOW!" Despite the weight of his elder brother's body, he still found room to jump as high as a flea. "What in tarnation did you do, Mikey?!" Don turned, gritting his teeth, to find his little brother's eyes wide as dinner plates.

_I was wondering when that would kick in. _

"What'd you do, Saesha?! What's going on?"

With a wobbling finger pointing to Don's keister, Mikey whispered, "Donnie…I dunno how to tell you this, but…ah—"

"Out with it Mikey." Don's voice was filled with a dreading softness.

He scratched his head and murmured, "You've…um, you've got a long purple tail, Donnie."


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the TMNT. I'm just a fanfic author trying to get along in this website! I do own: Bima, Iwansi, Kiyo, Rijinn, Saesha, Nechai, Keron, and Tiquae. Nobody but me can use them! RAAAR! (growls possessively)

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**13.**

Don stood still in shock, wondering if Mikey had tricked him. "Whaddya mean I have a tail?"

A sharp tug on a new appendage proved his doubts were wrong. "That's just it, Don. Ya gotta tail." Suddenly, he felt very woozy. "A pretty long one at that." He set Leo down and twisted around to see a long lavender tail, about three and a half feet in length, almost identical to Saesha's. He turned pale and plopped down, holding one end in his shaking hand.

"What, am I goin' Purple Dragon or somethin'?" he muttered. Despite the circumstances, Mikey guffawed at his question.

Saesha snorted. _I wish! I know what happened. Would you like me to tell you, sweet carrier 'o mine?_ A horrified stare was his answer. _Right. What happened is this: since you are reptilian, as am I and all of my siblings, you were affected in a…somewhat negative way. I'd call it plain lucky, but you seem to think otherwise._

"Is there something else I should know about?" he snapped suddenly, throwing his arms up. "Claws? Horns? A long snout? Maybe EARS?!"

_I really don't know, Don, but you should be happy._ She examined a claw as his panicky rage surfaced.

"HAPPY?! Do I look the least bit happy?" he bellowed, shaking the tail at her invisible form. "I've another reason now to stick to the shadows! And do you know what else?! Raph can step on it 'stead of my feet when he wants something fixed!!" He glowered, crossing his arms. Mikey could've sworn he saw steam shooting out his head. "Plus, I don't even know how to use the darned thing! Heck, I might even trip over it while fighting!"

A loud crumbling sound came from behind Don and Splinter stood, dusting himself off. At full height, he was about one foot taller than Don. "My son, in case you have not noticed for the fifteen years we have known each other, I am a rat." His hairless tail tapped Don's knee gently. "And rats have tails." The turtle blushed at his own stupidity. "Now, what of Leonardo?"

Don jumped up, nearly tripping over his tail. He glared at it before speaking. "We need to get him to bed and stick an IV tube into his arm. Then I need to check you for injuries, Sensei." Mikey readily grabbed a limp arm as Don gingerly took the other. Together, they hoisted the unconscious brother between them. Splinter ambled close behind Don's dragging tail, the tap of his walking stick echoing around the demolished lair. Twice, Don snagged his new appendage on piles of rubble, stopping to yank it free and grumble about the unfairness of saving the world in this manner.

Leo moaned and struggled wildly in Mikey's arms as Don returned from pulling his tail free a third time. "Whoa! Uh, Donnie? Leo's goin' wild animal on me." Even in his state, Leo managed to hit Mikey on the back of the head. "Hey! Seems like everyone's against me an' my humor! Sheesh!" He rubbed it indignantly.

Don seized the wounded arm, stopping Leo immediately in his throes. "Over to the bed. Quickly!" It appeared he was talking more to himself than Mikey, as his pull on Leo increased.

"Hey, Donnie, this is gettin' a little one-sided, dude. Let up already!" Mikey was nearly being dragged along with his brother, cast skidding on the ground. They finally arrived at a cot that had definently seen better days, laying their brother gently on it.

The purple banded turtle let Leo's arm fall to the surface. "Okay, Mikey, I'm gonna go get the meds. Be right back!" He turned and carefully stepped over his tail before trotting to his closet. "Lessee here…IV bag, tube, pole, bandages, darned Leo ran off before I could clean the wound! gauze, antiseptic…and a pillow. How could I forget?" he muttered. He shuffled back out, laden as a pack mule on Mt. Everest. Mikey stifled a chuckle at his grunts of exertion, nearly bawling when his tail got in the way. "I really must learn to move this thing on my own," he commented, punting it away before having it tug on his behind from the kinetic energy he'd unleashed. "Alright, Mikey, I need you to help me set this up. Grab this," he instructed, pointing to the IV pole, "and set it up beside our dear wounded brother."

Mikey complied. "Dude, by now, this is getting to be a full-fledged hospital!" he grumbled. _No sign of Saesha and her insults! Phew!_ he sighed happily. Apparently, he spoke too soon.

A stab in the back of his head told him she'd taken mock offense. _Yup, that's me. Little old annoying Saesha. I'm feelin' the love now. I wouldn't be surprised if I died of boredom. Don here, _she coughed sarcastically, _is too selfish for his own darned good._

Splinter had remained silent, only piping up now. "My sons, it will be hard to return to our old life. The roof has caved in, and rubble litters the floor." He stood patiently beside Leonardo in waiting for Donatello's usually confident answer.

He was surprised. "Sensei, I dunno if we'll even be able to clean up the lair. Look at it! It's a disaster area. I hate to say it, but we'll have to find another home," Don murmured sadly. He filled the IV bag with liquid before hooking it on the pole and sticking it into Leo's limp arm. Mikey was in shock. He wasn't sure he wanted to leave, no matter how messy the lair was! This was their home, and he wasn't leaving it without a fight.

"Donnie, there is no way I'm leaving!" He took a stubborn stance, crossing his arms and frowning deeply.

"At the moment, Mikey, we couldn't leave if we wanted to. The exit's blocked by several large slabs of concrete." Don went to the other side of Leo's prone form (nearly tripping over his tail in the process) and grimaced at his deep gash. He'd only managed to clean it halfway before Mikey shouted "I've found Master Splinter!" With an almighty sigh, he snatched a cotton ball saturated it in antiseptic. His younger brother flinched when the cleaning solution touched Leo's arm. He remembered what it was like on your nerves, and it hurt like the Dickens on fire.

Right then, Leo moaned. "Donnie, I told you it wasn't a good idea to use that stuff!" Mikey accused. "Poor guy's burnin'!"

Don dabbed the gash with a scowl. "A good clean wound never hurt anybody, Mikey! And I'd be fair happy if you'd stop those needless comments! I can't think for beans!"

"It's a good thing I don't have beans, then!" he retorted. Don returned it with a glare. Mikey knew that his shenanigans were no longer funny by this point and smiled weakly. Don snorted in reply and returned to the task at hand. A withered hand patted his dusty shoulder.

Splinter smiled in a fatherly way. "It is alright, my son, to be grouchy. I know you have been through a lot since meeting the dragon siblings. Even if we are forced to move, you must have faith in Donatello. He has much weight to bear. Consider this before harrying him further." Mikey blushed at the wise rat's words before looking back at Don, whose shell was facing him.

"Whoa!" Don suddenly fell out of his chair, an activity which prompted a raucous series of guffaws from Mikey. He sat up, rubbing his head. "Not funny, Leo. What'd you think I was, a scientist?"

Leo appeared to be awake, a weak smile was his proof. "Well, yeah," he rasped. "You ARE a scientist."

Don placed his hands on his sides (where his hips would be, but being a turtle, he didn't have much of hips) and frowned in mock annoyance. "Is that so?"

_Goodie. Another brotherly conversation. Joy. I'm happy as a horse and fit as a fiddle. Woohoo. _Saesha yawned. Obviously, she'd taken a nap while the brothers had been doctoring Leo, only now bothering to talk.

Don squinted warningly at Leo, whose eyes laughed openly at him. "Nobody asked you to wake up, Saesha. In fact, go back to sleep. You're of no use right now." She snorted indignantly and fell silent. "Now then, oh silly jokester, you need to hold still while I bandage this bad boy." The elder turtle rolled over so his wounded arm was easier to get at. "Would've been a lot better if you'd done that before. I wouldn't have had to go hunting for it under your unconscious, heavy body." Mikey supressed a snicker at this public display of mock humiliation of their supposedly 'dignified' leader.

Then he saw Don's tail twitch from under the table. "Oh Leo? I forgot…" Here he giggled. "Don has a new—Mffph!" Don clapped a hand over Mikey's beak in irritation.

"I'm not sure I want to show him that yet," he growled. Leo raised his eyebrows.

Mikey grinned under his hand. **_Hey Saesha? _**Don's eyes went wide. **_Mind tellin' Leo here of Donnie boy's early Christmas present?_**

_With pleasure. _Don groaned agonizingly, his tail's sudden movements matching his mood. She smiled sweetly. _Don-san has…a tail. _

"A tail? Mikey, we've always had tails," Leo whispered. He meant the little stubs that turtles are born with.

Don removed his hand, an imaginary thundercloud storming viciously over his head. "Nuh-uh. Not like this one." Mikey gave Don's lavender tail an almighty yank to show it, with pride, to Leonardo. In doing so, the purple banded turtle was pulled out of his chair with a thunderous yell of surprise. He ended up on the floor with a loud thump, dazed, rear end half suspended with Mikey's 'help' and limbs sticking out in all directions. The younger brother showed his prize to a puzzled Leonardo.

"Don? How—" He was interrupted by a bad-tempered snarl.

"_Saesha_, being the dear loving dragon she is," he said sarcasticly from the debris-strewn ground, "forgot to tell me that because of our reptilian attributes, we alone will have tails and other _lovely_ new parts! I, personally, feel set up!" Mikey saw him cross his arms. The sight of the techie-turtle pissed and on the ground, hanging by a long purple tail proved too much for him to handle in the end.

He started busting a gut, dropping the tail and falling next to his angry brother. "Hoohooo, I should do that…MORE OFTEN! BWAHAHAHA!" Mikey rolled around, tears sprouting from his eyes. This only urged Don's current temper to become worse.

He sat up and glared venomously. "Look, Mikey! I'm tired, I'm sick of being made fun of, and I've been trying to help Leo for the past twenty minutes, but SOMEBODY keeps interrupting in the most annoying ways possible!" One glance from Mikey told him he'd been too hard. He rubbed his forehead and sighed. "Sorry, guys, but I can't take it anymore! Why don't you and Splinter find the kitchen and get some..lunch?"

Mikey gave a half-hearted salute. "Yessir, Colonel Donatello! Lunch sounds right nice!" Splinter shook his head and followed the irrepressible youth away into the darkness. Don returned to his chair and glanced at the IV bag. It was half full.

He leaned forward and grabbed the gauze and bandages. "How're you feelin' now, Leo?"

He shrugged as best he could, grimacing at the dull throb of pain. "Better. I think that IV stuff helped."

"Should've!" he huffed. "Now hold up you arm, sir, I gotta bandage him!" He pressed the large gauze pad to the open wound, checking Leo's face every now and then for twitches of pain. He remained silent. Without a backward look, Don wrapped it faster than any surgeon, or doctor for that matter. He stepped back to examine his handiwork. "Looks good, Leo. But, you'll hafta take it easy until that heals. Dunno what you'll be able to do during training." Don winced right after the fateful word, because Leo sat up, eyes blazing.

"I need to find my katanas!" he growled through his teeth. "I need them, Donnie!" Don pressed him back down onto the cot.

"Stay here. I'll find them." With a gulp, he reached out with his mind. _Saesha? You awake?_

A subdued yawn greeted him. _I'm awake, King Nebuchadnezzar. What is it your highness wants now? _Saesha stretched, cracking her back a few times and yawning again, pulling back her lips to reveal rows of pointed teeth.

_Please, Saesha, I don't need that right now. Leo demands his katanas. _

She stared suspiciously. _Swords? I see no value in pieces of metal that kill._

Leo heard that. "My katanas," he growled, "are a part of me, _dragon_. You have never held a weapon in your life, nor had anything of value! What is your problem?"

Her royal purple eyes glistened. _Nothing of **value**? You think I don't know what it's like to lose something far more important than any possession? Just because I'm a legendary predator of old doesn't mean I don't have feelings. Let me ask you: have you ever lost a good friend? _Leo averted his eyes. _Then you don't know what it's like to actually lose something. I have seen far more with my eyes when I was a young dragonet than you know. War and blood were a part of Feudal Japan in my day! I made several friends that should not have been able to leave this cruel world, yet they did! Tell me, _she whispered, a heartbroken light in her eyes, _who have you loved so dearly that they felt like family to you? Who have you felt so attached to that when they die, you feel absolutely and utterly destroyed? I have. Don't you give me that lip about **value**! I have seen more than you know and care to hear! _Saesha fell silent, and Don could've sworn a tear slid down her scaly cheek only to spatter on the white floor of the dreamworld she was forever fated to be held prisoner inside.

Emotionless, Don said, "Tatsu Morph." and Saesha dove into the mountain of debris, leaving a shocked Leonardo in her wake.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Yup. I'm doin' a disclaimer…again. Don't anybody sue me, I only own: Bima, Saesha, Rijinn, Iwansi, Kiyo, Nechai, Keron, and Tiquae. That being done, good bye disclaimer, hello author's note!

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**14.**

"Bother and a day, Bima! Why is Rijinn HERE for cryin' out loud?" Keilah yelled. "Couldn't that Japanese guy send him to a more hospitable place? Geez!" She tugged her parka closer to her shivering body and muttered darkly that by a dragon claw she'd have a good long word with whoever had the mind to send Rijinn to Mount Caubvik. "And it's November to boot! Good golly, Bima, why can't you forge a path?!" She was talking about the snow.

_You hadn't asked, Queen Elizibeth! _The dragon was feeling chipper and the need to annoy someone was on her mind. The terrible trio had traveled for two days up into Quebec, noticing that it got colder with every step. Raph, being a reptile, was freezing his tail off by the time they got to the Canadian side of the border. Pitying him for who knows why, Keilah suggested they go and get a parka from a general store. Being the cheeky person he is, Raph pointed out dully that they wouldn't sell to a giant, five-foot talking turtle. Keilah had replied, "You're ninja, aren't you?" The turtle had been somewhat reluctant to steal, but clammed up as soon as he was warm. They'd continued without interruption, surviving on wild plants and animals that Bima would catch by pure luck.

Raph looked quite silly with a parka on, the reasons being that his back swelled because of his shell, and because of his utter loathe for cold weather. "You think you're sufferin'? I got cold pieces of metal against _my _skin!" He balanced on a large rock, hopped off, and continued cursing the overcast sky for its choice in clothing the Earth with snow. "Plus, I gotta take a dump!" He proceeded to do so behind a sparse bush.

Keilah kicked through a deep snowbank, checking behind her to see where Raph was. "Aw quit it. Those sais are gonna do a lotta good if we run into Keron and Nechai." The mountainside was becoming steeper by the minute, and soon she had to take a breather. Their breath now came in puffs of warm air that accumulated in the cold.

Raph panted like a Great Dane as he rested on the rock beside her. "How close are we, Bima?"

_About 50 feet. _

"WHAT?!" they thundered in unison. A distant rumble started up.

Raph turned slowly around and went pale as only a turtle could. "Uh-oh." A white wave of snow came crashing down the mountainside. "Got one word for you, Keilah. RUN!!!" Both reptile and human stood and bolted to the right flank of the avalanche, hoping to take cover before being hit. "It ain't far behind us now, Keilah! Run like you're bein' chased by Shredder!"

Raph overtook Keilah and sprinted the last leg of the deadly race, sweating like a pig in his thick parka. The last thing they both remembered was diving, in desperation, underneath a large outcropping of rock.

_**Take it easy, Saesha. He didn't mean it, he just feels so attached to his katanas. Splinter gave them to him, so they're special**, _Don tried to calm the emotional dragon down with soothing words. It only ended up making her dig faster.

Saesha clawed the tunnel end in teary rage. _He doesn't know what I've been through! How many times has he seen a child die before his very eyes? **How many**?! _She sat down and wept openly, hot tears coursing down her scaly cheeks. _It wasn't supposed to happen, and yet…it was all our fault! My siblings and I! _The lavender dragon sniffled as memories sifted through her mind. Don saw it all in a fleeting second, but remembered everything with a heartbroken sense of horror.

In one flashback, a little girl, no more than five years old, wandered into their dark cave, the only source of light coming from the entrance. She held with trembling fingers a care-worn doll, dirty and tattered, yet it seemed her only link to calmness. A tiny dragon, yellow in color and cheery in nature, watched from the shadows with a twinkling eye. The dragon looked to be almost half mammal instead of the reptile that she was. The strangest thing was the anime-style tuft of fur growing between her silver horns. _Iwansi_. he realized. For a moment, time stood still, but then Iwansi appeared behind the child and tapped her gently on the shoulder with a claw. She whirled around, numb with terror, only to find a small, cute little winged lizard.

With a cry of relief, the child hugged Iwansi tightly to her body and plopped to the floor, crying her sweet little eyes out. Iwansi wrestled out of her grip and patted her arm reassuringly. She chirped once, the sound resulting in several other scaled bodies tumbling into their view. There was a medium sized dragon, purple and playful. Don could hardly believe it was Saesha. The next to catch his eye was a red dragon about the size of a computer desk. He had no idea who that one was, but for now, he'd guess Rijinn. Bima was next, the size she was now, nuzzling the little girl with her immense muzzle. A light green dragon, about the size of a chair, sat outside the circle. It was obvious to Don that he was the shy, quite type.

The flashback disintegrated; in its place came another. Years had seemed to pass. The dragon siblings appeared infectuously happy with their charge, who was now at least eight. What he had failed to see before now struck him in the face. The girl had raven colored hair, which was hanging loosely around her thin shoulders. She was sleeping on a straw mat only to be awakened by Iwansi, who leapt upon her rising chest and started tickling her stomach. The girl woke up in a fit of giggling and sat up, resulting in the dragon's rolling off of her. Her emerald green eyes sparkled. They were happy at last, no longer lonely.

Yet another flashback came. This was sadder yet. The girl was ten now. Flames encircled the cave entrance; Iwansi and her siblings fought to protect their adopted child from a powerful force. Then he saw it. The metal clothed figure walking through the fire, spikes adorning his large figure. Don gritted his teeth in hatred, but watched helplessly as the girl ran out in front, shouted 'Baka!' in Japanese, and tackled Shredder. As if her impact had been no more than a feather, he threw her into the wall and advanced upon her dazed form. Don screwed his eyes shut as a pained cry ripped through his heart. When he dared look again, she was dead, impaled through the chest by the Sword of Tengu.

Unharnessed loathe shot through the dragons; they prepared to jump him and tear the enemy apart, when Kiyo, voice of reason, stated sadly in his mind that there was nothing they could do. They halted their formidable assault with dark snarls of pure rage directed at Shredder, who stood watching them coolly, blood dripping from his sword. Saesha's eyes glowed purple, and, touching her seething siblings, who were each linked together by a silver claw, vanished into thin air. Oroku blinked suddenly and gave a cry of animal rage, throwing his sword into the already maimed body of the girl, who was smiling triumphantly.

Tears ran down Don's cheeks. Now he understood why Saesha had been so upset about Leo's swords. She despised them because of their ability to kill the innocent. He heaved sobs, clutching his body in overwhelming sadness. Saesha's ability to be happy had lost its appeal after that experience. Later flashbacks showed an angry Japanese father casting a spell on all of them. Don realized that he was the girl's father, and had come across her bloody form in their last home. He did not understand how or why she'd been killed; all he cared about was locking up her 'tormentors'.

A heavy paw rested upon his trembling shoulder. _Now do you understand, little one? Why I hate swords? _He nodded slowly, mouth dry and swollen. Saesha turned him around and pulled him to her, squeezing him in a comforting bear hug, like a mother would a child after a nightmare. _I do not wish for you to speak of this to your brothers, just your Sensei. He will understand my heartbreak better than any. Now go.._She flicked a tear from his cheek as he was pulled away from the dreamworld.

Don woke up on the dirt floor of the chamber that Saesha had retreated to, face all crusty with salt. He sat up and wiped his face with a sniff. It was dark in there, but somehow he had a kind of night vision, courtesy of Saesha. With a sigh, he crawled forward, out the tunnel, and into the disaster-struck lair. He heard Leo, Mikey, and Splinter conversing.

"I don't know what I said, Sensei. All of a sudden, I noticed my swords were gone. I demanded to go and get them." Leo took in a guilty breath and continued. "Don would've gone with Saesha, but she got all emotional and said I wouldn't understand. Said I couldn't. She and Don just dove into the mountain of rubble. Haven't seen 'em for two whole hours." Two _hours_? That's how long he had been gone?

Don stood and dusted himself off, dragging his tail behind with a heavy heart. He felt so tired, he could drop dead. He hadn't seen the insides of his eyelids for a day and a half. With a weary yawn, he traveled to the cot where Leo'd been. Not caring about the blood, he flung himself upon it and was out as soon as his head touched the pillow.

_Ah, so you're back, eh? _Saesha looked up from her work. Don rubbed his eyes and trudged toward her.

"_What're you doing, Saesha?" _he asked.

She stared intently back at the patch of floor she was on. _Come and see, little one. _The lavender dragon seemed to have grown fond of him over the last few days. He knelt beside her, curiosity radiating from him in all directions. Don glanced at the floor and found his gaze was held there by a curious sight. Raph and Keilah both in parkas. They seemed to be unconscious, lying in who knows where. At first, the turtle might have guessed they were in the dream world, but Saesha silenced that thought in a miniscule comment. _No, they are not in the dream world. They are trapped in an air pocket. _

"_Air pocket?"_

_Avalanche. I don't know how much longer they'll be alive, but they'd better wake up quick. HEY LOVEBIRDS!! _she thundered at the picture.

Raph felt a stinging stab at his behind. "Yeeow!" His eyes opened in a second, and he found himself in a small cave of snow, with no way out.

Saesha grinned toothily. _Well, that worked out quite nicely. _Don chuckled as Raph began shaking Keilah.

The girl grumbled something incoherently and gave a sharp yelp when Raph's sai was put into play. "Ouch! Wazzat for?" she glared. The slurring of her words gave proof of their lack of oxygen.

Raph pointed his sai at the wall. "This is what's up, Keilah: we're running outta oxygen. Bima, keep 'er awake. I'm gonna dig us outta here!" A smart _Yessir! _and he was at the wall, digging away at the snow.

Don felt drowsy. _Oh, darn. You're waking up. We won't be able to do this often, so come back when you're sleeping, alright? _The turtle gave a goofy smile and watched as the dreamworld fell apart bit by bit.

"Donnie?" The voice sounded distant, almost miles away.

"My son, do not disturb him. He has had a hard time of it. Donatello needs his rest, as do we all." Splinter without a doubt.

"But Sensei, he's been sleeping for almost ten hours now!" Mikey complained softly.

"It does not matter. He has had many burdens to deal with, including an emotional dragon. It puts much strain on the mind." Boy was he right about that. Don felt as if he'd been socked in the chest by Raph.

"Master, he's not gonna be happy when he finds out about the…y'know."

"I do not wish for it to trouble him just yet, Michelangelo! Now please, begone! Your elder brother is in need of assisstance preparing breakfast." Mikey giggled. They all knew very well what Leo was capable of inside the kitchen and all of it involved setting at least one dish on fire. "Quickly, before he burns what home we have left, my son!" A quick pitter-patter and a series of klunks followed his departure.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer**: (huffs) Man, doin' these disclaimers gets me kinda annoyed, but for safety issues…I own Bima, Saesha, Iwansi, Rijinn, Kiyo, Keron, Nechai, and Tiquae. Don't sue me, and I won't sue you. We're all a big happy family. No hugs, and no kisses from Barney. (shoots Barney with an M-16) DIE, BARNEY! DIE!!

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**15.**

Keilah sat there staring dumbly at the laboring Raphael. "Wha?" Raph turned, glared anxiously at the stupefied girl, and returned to his work. _What I wouldn't give for some way of tellin' that idiot what's happenin' mentally! _he muttered to himself, grinding out a growl and stabbing deeper with his sai.

_I may be of some use, your highness, _Bima pointed out smugly.

_Well, then by all steenkin' means, do it, ya lazy, good-fer-nothin' lump of scales! _he snarled wearily. She gave him an icy glare before sighing in defeat and beginning the drawn out tale of why Raph was trying without success to murder the snow. Keilah just stared at a random spot in the wall with glazed eyes. Raph himself was feeling a little woozy in the head. He shook himself and poked the result of his efforts weakly.

Suddenly, to his complete surprise, Keilah struggled into a crawling position and inched to his side as best she could, breathing like a mother in labor. "I'll…help…you..R-raph." She wrestled with the last word before wincing sharply as Bima poked her mind with a silver claw.

The dragon shook her paw and clucked._ No way are you goin' down on me, knock-out champ. You die, I go back to the smelly tablet. It's that simple. _Keilah gritted her teeth and, using her hands as makeshift shovels, dug into the snowy walls of their deadly chamber. Bima decided it was time for a little mental entertainment. With a deep swagger, she formed a cheerleader outfit on her large form and waved pompoms in the air. _Raphie, Raphie, he's our turtle, if he can't do it, no one can! Keilah, Keilah, she's his queen, let's give a cheer for all our…uh, spleens! _

In the fit of hilarity that followed the comical dance, Raph fell into the wall they were trying to abolish and broke through into blinding sunlight. Despite the overpowering triumph that both companions felt inside, they were roaring at the sight of Bima in a cheerleader outfit, revealing though it was. The turtle and human rolled around on the snow covered mountainside, tears rolling down their cheeks as it played through their heads over and over again.

Bima, now cheerleader outfitless, sat on her hind legs and crossed her arms, muttering darkly, _Hrmph! Show's how much they care about a little helping out! Sheesh, this is what I get for giving you a little push? _Raucous guffaws echoed throughout the mountains. _Wasn't that funny either…_she commented to herself.

Raph was gasping for breath after about five minutes of chuckling, chortling, and giggling. "That was absolutely hilarious! Wooha, I'm dyin' here!"

He was consumed in another fit of giggling as Keilah took that time to also remark breathlessly, "Heheh, I can just imagine what Rijinn would SAY!" On the last syllable, she started busting a gut again, clutching her stomach.

Bima shook her head at their antics. _What would he say? He'd never let me live it down. Call me a love-hungry sand lizard and all that good stuff. _

Once recovered, Raph, still chuckling faintly, regained his footing and surveyed the mountainside carefully. "Now, old fart, where'd ya say ol' Rij was?"

_You do know that if the relic were here, he'd kill you for using that nickname. Heck, I'd kill you too if you used my nickname._

"Oh? And what's that? MA?!" Keilah held her sides as giggling once again filled their ears.

Bima glared and turned her back to them. _Precisely. Toad Ma. 'Course, he doesn't have a nickname that beats Kiyo's: Old Man Tucket._

Raph began ascending up the steep gravelly ground. "Ol' Man Tucket? How'd he get such a weird nickname anywho?" Keilah followed at a slower pace, still chuckling at 'Toad Ma's expense.

Bima flipped back around. _Before I begin, let me tell you that a tucket is a trumpet fanfare. _Keilah raised an eyebrow and was about to question where she got such knowledge but was silenced with an upheld paw. _Keeping this in mind,, I will continue. See, one day, Kiyo went out at night to prowl around the town for food. Naturally, you people aren't nocturnal, so they were asleep. _Raph muttered, "I go on nightly patrols…"_ Well, ol' Kiyo comes across a glinting room. Being the curious, yet cautious dragonet he was, he poked open the window with a claw. Turns out, there was a crude trumpet on this guy's desk, accompanied by a piece of music. Kiyo was reading the music when the guy in bed turned over and groaned in his sleep. I admit the little green kid was somewhat of a chicken and bolted, the music perforated and hanging from a claw. Well, he came to our cave, looked down, and found he'd gotten a little more than he bargained for. Iwansi took the thing and pretended to read it, giggling all the way. The only things we could make out were 'fanfare' and some notes. So, without further ado, from that moment on, Kiyo was dubbed Old Man Tucket._ For a moment, the dragon's sapphire eyes clouded over with unspeakable sorrow, but it was gone when Raph looked again.

_A fine piece of history, Toad Ma, but LEMME OUTTA HERE!!! _a bass voice roared. Raph and Keilah fell to the ground clutching their heads in agony.

Raph blinked once, now noticing that they had arrived before a cave opening. To the right of the cave , there was a sheer drop off to the grassy knoll below.

Keilah got up and moaned, cleaning out an ear with her pinkie. "Yeow, you'd think the guy'd be a little quieter when it comes to speakin' his mind!"

She rubbed her head ruefully as Bima cut in with a witty, yet insulting remark. _What mind? You mean to tell me you don't know Rij is mindless?_

_Takes one to know one, gackbag! _he shot back. Raphael found himself beginning to like Rijinn already.

Both human and turtle peered into the cave, which was bathed in a dim, red light. "Huh, can't say much for the décor," Raph murmured, going deeper in. He stopped in front of a glowing tablet, Japanese calligraphy all over it. Pulling a face, he leaned closer. "Geez, I bet Donnie'd have a field day wid this stuff. I dunno what this guy's tryin' tuh pull, writin' all over it like every turtle knows Japanese like a second language."

Rijinn's head blew steam. _THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S ALL THEY TALKED IN THE **STONE AGE**, TWIRP!!! You expected that stupid Ping Pie to know English? For the love of my silver claw, this is Japan we're talkin' 'bout! Are you as brainless as Bima? Or is this just deja' vu? _Raph bristled at his tone.

"Man, if Master Splinter were here, he'd give ya a good hard thwack upside the skull for that insolence."

_INSOLENCE?! You're talkin' to a millennium-old dragon here, and you, who are only fifteen, call me insolent?! _he growled fiercely. _That's completely unheard of!_

"Well, at least he's smart enough to admit his old cragginess…" Raph muttered, extracting an indignant squeal from the livid red dragon. Keilah stifled a giggle at Rijinn's antics.

He turned crimson eyes toward the chuckling girl, freezing her flow of mirth. _Rather scrawny kid, doncha think, Toad Ma? _A few evil sniggers escaped him.

_Don't laugh, sir, you get the talking five-foot turtle, _Bima pointed out smugly.

Rijinn's long ears perked up. _Him?! You gotta be kiddin' me. The dude's only two-thirds your blubber an' bulk!! I mean, sheesh! Couldn't you have gotten me a human?_

"Well, whaddya think, Rij?!" Raph snarled. His patience was quickly growing thin. "With Nechai and Keron probably huntin' us down, do you think it'd be a logical option to just waltz out into the streets, snatch someone at random, and c'mere? I don't think so, talkin' handbag!" Rijinn glared and said nothing. Then Raph grinned suddenly. "Buuuut, I could tell you what your 'dignified' sister did while we were tryin' to get to this bat cave." Bima's eyes widened in horror and she waved her paws, doing the 'slice the neck' motion. "Y'see, we were stuck in a jolly ol' air pocket cuz me'n Keilah shouted too loud an' caused a stinkin' avalanche. Outta the blue, Bima puts on a cheerleader outfit and waves pompoms like a complete sissy. I fell through the wall an' we escaped, still busting a few guts."

The red dragon smirked evilly at his elder sister, who was trying to stick her head into the floor of the dream world, like an ostrich would in sand. _I see you've been having a bunch 'o fun since I've sat here doin' nothin' for the past milennium, dear sis. I can see it all in my head. You aren't too bad, Raphael._

"Oh, I've got brothers…" he muttered. Rijinn arched an eyeridge.

_Do you now?_

"Yup. Mikey's the spittin' image of Iwansi, I'm told. Don…well, I dunno about Don. I think he might get Kiyo. Leo might get Saesha cuz she's such a wet blanket. And I'm the resident hothead, whom Bima thought it would be a great idea to bring. Sadly on the way here, I discovered I'm not fond of flying. You could imagine the rest."

Rijinn groaned. _Two Iwansis! That's just what we old crusters need! Ugh…_

Raph straightened his parka as shivers swept through him. "Well, I'm gonna get you out right now. No way no how I'm stayin' here for another ten minutes." The red banded turtle placed his hand on the cold stone tablet, almost crying out from the sudden shock he received. "Hmmmm…er, Tatsu release!?"

Nothing happened, spurring Keilah to chuckle, "Tatsu absorb, idiot."

"I knew that!" he ground out indignantly. "Tatsu absorb!" His hand felt cemented to the Japanese writing almost instantly. There was a tugging strain on his mind as Rijinn used it as a rope to pull himself out of his prison. A ball of red light popped out of the tablet, containing the dragon's mind, and entered his head with a pop. Raph fell backwards, panting like he'd taken a fifteen-mile run. "Phew! Remind me neveh to do that again!"

Rijinn looked around in satisfaction. _Huh! Now this is my kind of carrier! Like to fight, I see. _

Raph heard soft footsteps coming from the cave opening and leapt around to face the baddies, Nechai and Keron. "Oh, heck no ya don't!" The turtle vaulted past the two and darted outside to find twenty Foot soldiers waiting for him. "Aw, shell…"

Keilah had problems of her own. Were Raph to stay, he would've watched the girl get wrapped in a glowing band that constricted her. Her mind felt like it was beginning to tear in half. _Keilah, they're trying to rip me from you! _Bima sank her claws into Keilah's mind and hung on for dear life as a mental hurricane whipped her around. _I don't know how long I'll be able to hang on, but Raph needs to hurry it up with the buttkicking out there! Rijinn, help him out!_

_Don't you think that's what I've been trying to do, Toad Ma?! _Rijinn growled back._ The idiot won't listen to me, he'll get himself killed!_

Raph warded off a Foot soldier brandishing a katana and leapt backwards. "You think I've got the time to do your liddle Tatsu morph?! I'm fightin' fer my life, here!" He deflected a fatal blow to the head and socked the guy in the stomach, making him double over. A quick hit on the nape of his neck with a trusty sai and he was out cold. Not knowing it, every time he dodged, he was moving precariously close to the cliff's edge.

Nechai was soon his opponent and fired a flurry of punches at Raph, who was momentarily caught off guard. "You again, freak? I should've killed you the day I had you in a cage like the animal you are!" Raph flipped over his head; now Nechai was the one in danger of plummeting to his death.

Raph growled blackly, "Freak? You're a freak, an' so's yer boss, what's his face." Nechai's face twisted with momentary shock. "Don't think I'm stupid, buttbag. I know yer workin' with the Shredder. The Foot goons are proof of that."

The man charged forward, only to be knocked down. "You won't last long, abomination." Raph bristled at this name.

"Says who, lard butt?"

An iron grip caught him in a headlock from behind. "Says I." Keron hurled the turtle over the edge, watching his sais clatter on the gravel as he shot off. Nechai smiled in satisfaction and was helped up by his counterpart before going into the cave where Keilah was desperately fighting the glowing ring that was trying to rip Bima's spirit from her mind.

"AWWWW SHELLLLLL!!!" Raphael bellowed as he fell at a blinding speed.

Don groggily thought of what Mikey could possibly mean by the 'y'know'. A wound? Nah, he didn't feel any pain. And there wasn't a time when he injured himself either, so that option was promptly eliminated. Hmm…maybe…no way. He wasn't going to consider the possibility of another dragon appendage. But, his hearing seemed to be equal to that of a bat's. What if it was just an effect from the mind meld with Saesha? Considering the tone of Mikey's voice, he was hard pressed to keep from laughing out loud. Yup, it was definently a dragon appendage that caused such mirth.

He distinctly heard Splinter's light breathing beside him and there was a clatter in the kitchen, which meant, much to his chagrin, that he probably had…dragon ears. Don tried to picture the sight of a turtle with large, rabbit-like ears swiveling around to catch the different sounds and chuckled nervously. This action was not missed by his Sensei.

"My son, Michelangelo has been waiting to see you for so long," Splinter whispered, followed by a long sigh. "In truth, he was becoming quite abrasive." Don opened his eyes and saw Splinter's own orbs widen in surprise. "By my hairless tail…" It was the first time he'd ever hinted at swearing before.

Don sat up, abashed at this behavior. "What, Sensei?" The rat wrinkled his bushy eyebrows, as if in deep thought. Don rose uneasily, finding the need for a mirror almost urgent now. He rummaged around in his nearby closet, feeling the slightest head rush from getting up too fast. It wasn't long before his search bore fruit. The turtle held his prize facing down, wondering if he even dared to take a look. With a moan, he stepped into the light, looked into the mirror, and froze at the image staring back at him.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: **(sigh) Do I have to do one? (lawyers nod) Fine. I do not own the TMNT, only the OCs in this series. Okay? (lawyers shake their heads) Fine! I own Keilah, Bima, Rijinn, Iwansi, Kiyo, Saesha, Nechai, Keron, and Tiquae. There, how's that? (lawyers nod their approval)

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**16.**

Bandanna tails streaming up, Raph plummeted toward the green wavy ground about one hundred feet below, bellowing at the top of his lungs. "STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!" he berated. "I LET MY GUARD DOWN AN' NOW I'M GONNA PAY FER IT!" Branch after branch that had braved the elements to sit on vertical soil slipped past him. "YAAAARRRGH!"

Rijinn stabbed his mind with a silver claw. _You've still gotta chance! _The turtle's rapid descent screeched to a heart stopping halt. By pure luck, the back of his parka had snagged on a small tree that grew outward fearlessly. Raph gulped at the dizzying height he was hanging, the grass blurring with his dizziness.

"Aw man, I think I'm gonna…I'm gonna…" He didn't get to finish. Bile and other unpleasant items forced their way up his throat, making his cheeks bulge. Raph's face turned an interesting shade of green and he let out his gift to the earth, crossing his eyes with the indignity of it all.

Rijinn watched the pile disgustedly. _Eeew…now I know why Bima was radiating 'gross' vibes toward you._ About ten seconds after that comment, it hit with a barely distinguishable splat.

Raph wiped his mouth. "'Gross' vibes? What's that s'posed to mean?" The branch quivered dangerously, making him freeze for fear that it would snap under his weight.

_Gross vibes. They just fly when you see something disgusting. _Rijinn stuck out his pointed tongue in distaste._ Take, for example, your tossing your cookies. That's nasty and wrong. Geez, she wasn't kiddin' when she said you hated heights. _The red dragon made a face. _Now then, we've gotta get back up there and save Bima an' your girlfriend._

"GIRLFRIEND?!" he exclaimed, outraged. "Where in this good earth did you get such an idea? Girlfriend…Keilah'd be grossed out if she heard it too! Ugh…I can't see myself comin' even remotely close to her…" Raph swore blackly under his breath.

Rijinn pulled back. _Well, what a reaction! Classic if I ever saw one. Hey, it was only an assumption. Don't getcher belt in a bunch…_A few sniggers escaped him, and Raph shot him an anxious, yet icy glare.

He shivered in the blustery wind. "Y'know, I ain't gettin' any braver hangin' here. Feel better wit' my feet on solid ground."

Rijinn yawned and stretched. _Yeah? Well I ain't gettin' any younger. And that's a lot comin' from wrinkly ol' me, bein' a millennium old an' all that good stuff.. _

The turtle wrung his hands nervously, thinking how positively ridiculous he must look, dangling from a branch like a piece of food on a fork. "Ya got wings, so I should prob'ly letcha take the wheel." As best he could, Raph raised his trembling hands above his head, eyes locked on the ground. "Er, 'kay…Tatsu morph!" A red fireball shot from his hands and struck him in the chest, immediately tugging his mind gently away from his limp body.

With a roar, Rijinn appeared in his place, falling for a short distance, then shooting back up the cliff face with the speed of a fighter jet. Clouds and plants shot past him as he flapped his enormous wings, gaining speed until everything was a blur. Raph found himself amazed at the strength of this dragon. Pleased with his newfound freedom, he let out a guttural growl as he peaked the edge. With a ground shaking thump, he landed on the cliff, crimson eyes riveted on the first Foot soldier in his view. Snarling viciously, he whirled around, catching his target in the stomach with his tail and throwing him off in the very same manner Raphael was.

Rijinn was a tad smaller than Bima (a tad, mind you) and he was much more aggressive. **_Like me, _**Raph realized with a pang of guilt. He hadn't given his family a second thought until now. A hollow smack snapped him back to the present as he watched his dragon bat another unfortunate goon off with a large silver clawed paw. Immense leathery wings protected him from any attacks on his right and left flanks. Long ears flicked back to catch the rasp of a sword being drawn. Rijinn flipped around and butted his would-be assailant with curling horns. He barreled through the rest of the enemies blocking his way and thundered into the cave with all the noise of a frieght train.

Sharp clicking sounds came from his claws. Shadows formed from the light of a lantern danced on the sculpted walls. Smoke streamed from dialated nostrils as he advanced upon the unnaturally cool Nechai and Keron. He sat with a loud plop about ten feet away and stared intimidatingly. _I suppose I'll just fry you both to a crisp before eating you._

Nechai smirked. "You're a spirit. You don't eat."

Rijinn returned his overly confident smile with an evil grin of his own. _Don't be so sure, baldy._

The man bristled slightly. "Baldy? Look who's talking, Rabbit Ears."

The ears pricked forward attentively. _These 'rabbit ears' are quite useful. For emaple, they warn me that your buddy is sneaking up behind me right now with one of those infernal spirit extractors. _A flick of his thick tail and it connected his Keron's upper torso, hurling him into the wall. The henchman regained his footing and leapt to his comrade.

"Interesting," Keron snarled bad-temperedly. His pride had been sorely wounded after that event. "But I grow tired of your shenanigans." He stepped aside to reveal Keilah, who was struggling inwardly with all her might to keep a firm hold on Bima's spirit. Her eyes screwed a little tighter each time a mental gust ripped through her mind, attempting to tear her friend from her. "Now it's your turn, freak of nature."

Raph shook his fist as Rijinn blinked. **_Freak of nature? I'll show ya who's a freak of nature 'round here, lard butt! _**In retaliation, Nechai and Keron hurtled toward the dragon, releasing energy balls from their palms.

Rijinn sidestepped both of them. _Whoa! This ain't DBZ, guys. Quit imitatin' Vegeta, you're not doin' a good job. Here, lemme show you something really impressive. _His eyes glowed like twin demons, lighting the end of the cave in blood red. A few fast words from him and a ridge of ruby flames shot down from the middle of his horns to the end of his tail. Searing heat made both henchmen squint and back as far as they could into the wall. _Now, are you gonna play nice, or do I have to make barbequed ribs outta ya? _A couple of bad-tempered snarls was their reaction. He snapped at Keron, who was slowly inching behind him. _Y'know, it will get ugly, but it's gotta be done. I never want to see you wretches again. Close yer eyes, Raphael, this ain't gonna be pretty._

The turtle complied eagerly, wanting to shut out whatever horrifying image seeing would bring.

Don was in absolute and complete shock, if nothing else. He could've sworn the day before, his eyes were their normal color: brown. To his chagrin, his irises were now a bright amythest purple, almost blending with his bandanna. He searched aroung the sides of his head, where his eardrums would be and found wide bases, almost furry. With growing horror, he followed them up to a point. His fear had been realized; he had dragon ears.

"What in the name of…" he murmured, staring in a daze at his image.

A hand grabbed his tail and yanked it forcefully. "Heya, Donnie! Trust ya found your…whoa." Mikey had been talking about his ears, and when he'd come around front to see his brother's face, discovered the purple eyes. "Pardner, you got more than ya darned wanted in this deal!" He slapped his thigh and ran to the kitchen, laughing his fool head off.

Glumly, he returned to his seat by Master Splinter, kicking his tail out of the way. "Sensei, I dunno what's next."

Saesha smiled guiltily (and Don could've sworn she blushed lightly out of embarrassment)._If you're lucky, nothing. I admit, that change of the eye color was a bit of a quirk that you received by mind melding with me. Sorry._

"You must learn to use that tail properly, for starters," the rat remarked sagely. Don cast a skeptical glance at his involuntarily twitching appendage. It would be nice to know how to use the darned thing, but he wasn't so sure. Splinter could give vigerous training without a backward look. With a sigh, he nodded. There was a sudden movement from Splinter, his walking stick jabbing out fast as a cobra strike. It stabbed Don's tail, which shot pain all the way up his bum.

"YEOW! What was that for, Sensei?" His tail lifted several inches off the ground as he rubbed his hind parts, wincing.

He smiled his approval. "Well, your dragon tail has certainly the room to become a second weapon, Donatello. I was seeing how it would react. You'll observe, now, that it is above the floor." Don turned around and found, to his delight, that it was moving around. He grunted softly, and lashed out to the right with it, nearly taking Mikey's head off.

"Whoa, dude! Watch where you're slingin' that thing, Donnie!" The turtle was sprawled in an undignified manner, cast stuck out to the side and holding his hands up in mock pleading for his life. "I was jus' gonna tell ya that I succeeded in helping Leo prepare Kraft macaroni and cheese!"

Apparently, their older brother heard. "Hey! Quit humiliating me! I've got enough trouble over here, shutting off the burner with only one hand! Now that's a trick if I ever saw one!"

Mikey jumped to his feet and dashed to the kitchen as best he could with a broken leg in a plaster cast, yelping, "No! Leo, don't—" There was a muffled POOMPH and the turtle stopped, giggling at the sight that was before him. Smoke streamed out of the door, and Leo trudged out, covered in soot. "Heehee! I shoulda told ya…" he snorted, "that burner's only been used as a prank on April!" He held his sides, continuing in a fit of guffaws. "You were out on a training run and …I thought it'd be funny to…mash some charcoal into powder an'…" His attempts to speak went out the door, Don, Splinter, and Leo, who was glaring at the hapless little brother, watched in slight amusement as Mikey fell through a hole in the floor. He appeared five seconds later, soaking wet and covered in sewage.

Don held his beak and groaned. "Phew! Aw man, Mikey, you need a bath!"

He grinned back. "Oh, an' I suppose you smell like springtime lillies?"

"Better'n human waste products!"

The orange garbed turtle clambered out of the hole and wrung his bandanna out. "Hey, Don. Guess you're the lucky turtle that gets to fix the shower." Don, of course, saw the sense in this, since they'd never let Mikey do fixing on any appliance, household or invention. Together, hand in hand, dirty and clean, they trotted over the hill of rubble, Don grimacing at Mikey's stench.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: **Is this really necessary? (lawyers nod) (sigh) I own Keilah, Bima, Rijinn, Iwansi, Kiyo, Saesha, Tiquae, Keron, and Nechai. No TMNT (or dragons) were harmed in the making of this series. Don't sue me, I only use these TMNT for entertainment on behalf of other crazed readers such as myself.

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**17.**

Rjinn patted his work in satisfaction. _That does it, those two are gonna be imitatin' mummies for a while. _The red dragon had knocked both henchmen out cold before dragging Keilah out (by the back of her shirt I might add) and collapsing the entrance. He then filled it with various sizes of rocks and rubble.

Keilah panted from her spread-eagled position on the ground. "Ouch, now I know what a candy wrapper feels like." The girl had hung onto Bima valiantly, keeping a deathgrip on her 'til the end. "Now, Rijinn, what exactly was with the fire ridge? Didn't seem to do anything useful."

He smirked arrogantly. _Why, I am an adept at fire control.You don't think I knocked 'em out just by hitting them on the backs of the necks with my tail, do you? _

**_Could've fooled me, _**Raph muttered blackly. His pride had been sorely wounded from the cliff incedent. Bima, of course, had been informed already of him tossing his cookies. The reaction was predicted: she started harassing him relentlessly.

_Oh, right. Like you weren't doin' any better, barfbag, _Bima giggled gleefully. _You're the absolute worst when it comes to heights and air sickness._

_**Heights are Leo's department. I just get air sick.**_

_Oh? And the cliff was just an impulse?_

_**For your info, yes, wrinkly old snot bucket!!**_

Bima bristled slightly. _Care to repeat that, horror of the skies?_

_**Don't need to, garbage guts!**_

_Look who's talking, oversized amphibian!_

_**TURTLES ARE REPTILES, SMART ONE!**_

Bima whispered to Rijinn's mind, _Wanna get on his nerves? Just call him a frog and you'll be free as a bird. _Rijinn chuckled as Raph tackled Bima in mock rage and rolled around, grinding out insults a-plenty. The skirmish didn't last for long. The dragon ended up sitting blissfully on top of his plastron, leering down at him. _Now then, you crinkly gourd, what were you calling me? 'Cuz I can fry you at will._

_**Don't do me any favors, horn head.**_

_Keratin back._

_**Butt face.**_

_Lard butt._

_**Twit.**_

Keilah sighed and shot a glance at Rijinn, who was doing his very best to remain neutral. "I've had to experience this for a while now. Wish ya luck with Raph, he's a real sourpuss."

_I'm not a pregnant goldfish!_

_**Oh, and I always thought it meant you were stupid. Two meanings are good enough, though.**_

_Grrr…._

**_Eeep! _**Bima began tickling the red banded turtle.

_Now then, who's the twit here? WHO'S THE TWIT? _

If Raph hadn't been laughing so hard, he would've answered with venom. _I swear, you two are worse than a couple of three year-olds, _Rijinn muttered. _Now, can we go? PLEASE?_

Keilah yawned. "I'm ready. Gettin' pretty tired of all this insult stuff." Bima was ripped off Raph with a squeal of protest in being removed from her prey and Keilah was replaced.

**_Man, _**he wheezed, half-heartedly shoving the girl off his plastron. **_Bima, you weigh seven tons! _**The blue dragon growled a warning before taking to the sky with Rijinn.

"Dude, shower's been bogusfied!" Mikey breathed incredulously.

_I assume that's bad? _Saesha asked dryly.

"Aw, quit it Mikey. You're bein' no help at all. And neither are you, Saesha. A turtle does his best to fix stuff and this is what I get," Don grunted from inside their shower. It had been ringed with several good-sized slabs of rubble and the only way one was to take a shower was to jump in from the top. He was half talking to himself at the next comment. "This drain is full of gray hair!" he grumbled.

Mikey shrugged. "Don't look at me, I don't have any gray hair." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and grinned. "Although I'd look pretty hot for the ladies if a blond mop suddenly appeared on my nice shiny dome." He pretended to be modeling in front of a mirror.

Don stopped his work and peeped over the curtain. "You're odd," he stated bluntly and disappeared back to the cleaning and assembling of the showerhead.

_What else is new?_

The orange garbed turtle raised his fist. "Hey! I'm under a lot of pressure here! And I'm not odd…I'm eccentric!"

"Whatever. You just keep babbling like a brook and I'll do my thing."

"Oh, _heck_ no ya don't!"

He was about to leap into the shower when Don stuck his head over the edge once more, ears flicking backward in annoyance. "Not _that_, Mikey, you sick-minded turtle. What are you watching these days? Really bad reruns of ER? Geez…I'll be glad when Raph's back to harass _you_!" The turtle gave a solid 'harumph' and went back to the showerhead. "Can you at least see if Leo's still cooking? I'd hate to lose the kitchen." Mikey snorted and limped out of the large bathroom, cast clunking and somewhat deflated.

_That's nasty. _

"Yup, he's a messed up kid," he ground out in reply. Don sighed in frustration and pulled his bandanna tails. This showerhead was off its rocker! First of all, the fluid accelerator had been filled with dust from the explosion of the lair, so the water was muddy when one tried to start it up. Second, the nozzle had been slightly smashed inward, so the water flow would be pointed downward no matter what he did. And he didn't quite feel like welding at the moment.

_Good luck to you with that one. It's a real poser, _Saesha remarked. Don glared and dropped the showerhead gently on the clogged drain. With a woosh, he had vaulted out and onto the surrounding floor. It was time for a screwdriver to be put into play.

Meanwhile, Mikey was just being himself. "No no, Leo, ya gotta take a pinch of salt! Not a handful! When was the last time you cooked, dude?"

His brother shot him a glare. "Five minutes ago when _you _never bothered to tell me that you'd prankified the burner!" Mikey smiled nervously and inched away a tad.

"Forgive an' forget, bro," he whispered into Leo's ear.

Leo grimaced at the smell and moved his head away a little. "Fogive? Certainly. Forget? Oh no, these things aren't goin' unnoticed, dear brother."

"Ah, heheh, I'll just leave you to your cookin'!"

"Oh? And where are you going, Sir Smelly?"

"To…uh, visit April!" With that, he shot out of the kitchen and into the caved-in lair.

Leo shook his head in mirth and attempted to scramble the eggs. "The door's not exactly workin', Mikey. You're trapped like a….um, mouse." He was going to say 'rat' but his master is a rat. Technically, he didn't want anything on his clean record. He chuckled and resumed his batch of overly milky scrambled eggs.

Don had just about had it with this thing. It refused to open, much less get rid of the gunk in the fluid accelerator. This was going to end up with him going out to get a new one. Unfortunately for him, that also meant that Mikey was to stay 'sewer fresh' for at least another two days, considering the entrance was blocked by several slabs of sewer cement.

_You're stuck, Don. Wow, that's a first._

"Oh, shut up," he growled darkly. "You're not helping." His ears pricked forward at the sound of hurried footsteps approximately five meters away. _One good thing about these rabbit ears, they tell me when Mikey's on the way, _he said to himself.

He sounded a little skittish. "Oh yeah, Don, Leo's doin' just fine! And I really need to take a shower. Now!" Mikey whimpered pitifully. From the sound of it, he was glancing around like a hunted wolf.

"You're right about the shower part. You stink like cow manure."

_Ain't it the truth? _Don might've sniggered and given away that remark, which was directed only to him. Mikey didn't hear it.

"Real funny, Donnie. And how would you know? You live in a sewer, not onna farm!"

Don shrugged helplessly. "It's the absolute truth. Sorry."

_Boy are you right! I've smelt goat carcasses that have better aromas!_

Another set of quieter footsteps came to his twitching ears. "Donatello, I would like to know when Michelangelo may wash. The stench is overwhelming." Splinter tapped his stick, producing a hollow thump.

"Uh, yeah Master…about that…um…I think we'll need another shower head to give him a bath."

"Could you not just find a large bucket and fill it with water?"

"Well, uh, yeah, but…"

"Then do so." Splinter dismissed the subject and padded away.

"I can't do everything, Sensei," Don muttered as he pitched the showerhead out of the curtained area.

_Apparently you can't even aim. Oops, spoke too soon._

A muffled clunk echoed throughout the huge bathroom. "OW! Watch where yer throwing those things, Donnie!" Ah. Finally something satisfying. Evidently the rejected part had hit Mikey square on the top of his head.

"Can I help it if all matter despises you?"

"Well, yeah, when you're the culprit!"

"Y'know what? It was a lot better when you were with Leo."

"Oh, right. Shoot me now and save him the trouble," Mikey grumbled loudly. He tapped his casted foot and let out a small yelp. Newly set bones, he discovered, are not likely to heal in a matter of one day.

Don scrambled out of the encircled shower and onto a slab of cement. "What reason does he have to shoot you?"

Mikey suddenly looked uncomfortable and scuffed his good foot on the ground. "Remember the burner? I asked him how long it'd been since he last cooked. He answered, 'Five minutes ago when _you _never bothered to tell me that you'd prankified the burner!' And I tell you no lie, he's out to get me!"

_I'd shoot you too if I were Leo, prank or no prank. _Don nearly missed cutting back the guffaw that rose in his throat, tail lashing backward to knock over a leaning tower of rubble.

"I'm off to get some relief for all our nostrils. Be right back!" He sprinted out the door, ears flicking back for tell tale signs of a pursuer.

Mikey scratched his head and finally got it. "Whazzat s'posed to mean?! Don, get back here!" He grunted slightly and ran on one leg, favoring the broken one. "You're so DEAD!"

Don appeared in the half smashed rail road car's window. "For the love of Pete, Mikey, you're startin' to sound like Raph! And that's not a complement!"

The orange banded turtle arrived at his makeshift lab, scowling. "I'm tellin' him you said that when he gets back!"

_Assuming he'll survive Rijinn at all._

A large storage tub came rocketing out the door and barely missed Michelangelo, who screeched like a five year-old girl. "Yeek! Watch it, you crazed mad scientist!" Don flashed him a mocking grin and picked up the tub, dashing back to the bathroom. "Why must you make me suffer?! At this rate, I'll be running back an' forth all night!" Mikey complained hotly, limping after him.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: **Not another one! Grrr…I suppose I'll have to if I'm not to get sued…(sigh) I hate this job. (Rijinn: _You don't work, smart one. You're in eighth grade._) Cork it. I wanted sympathy. I own Bima, Kiyo, Rijinn, Iwansi, Saesha, Keilah, Nechai, Keron, and Tiquae. Hoo, that's a lot of 'em!

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**18.**

It was a beatiful sunset up by Lake Ontario that evening. The clouds were all dressed in striking shades of purple, pink, red, and orange. The sun was going 'to bed', as Splinter told the turtles when they were younger. They'd always asked why, and he answered with all the gentleness of a patient father, 'The sun has a hard job, my sons. It gives the world warmth and light, of which no living thing may survive without.' Donatello, of course, had known from day one of this story that his Sensei was telling a lie. Immediately after the fifth sunset marking five days since Splinter had told them, little Don had ran to the rat, holding with pride a paper scrawled in his almost illegible handwriting.

"See, Splinter?" he showed the amused sewer rat his find with a pleased smile. "The sun doesn't go to sleep, Sensei, it goes to the other side of the world." Naturally, his brothers had been present during the declaration and produced a clamor, asking why the sun went down to the other side of the world.

Splinter merely replied softly, "A tale for another day, my sons. Now it is your bedtime. Remember the katas we practiced today, as they will again be tested tomorrow." Different reactions came from each turtle. Michelangelo had protested hotly in the only way a four year-old could and was silenced a tad harshly by a hard elbow to the ribs from Raphael. He wasn't pleased either, scowling darkly, as always.

Leonardo had believed from the first moment of his ninja training that sleep was good for one's body. Much to the disgust of his other siblings, he'd uttered a curt, "Night Sensei." and walked away to his bed. Raph said later, out of earshot, "Suck up…"

Raph was looking back on this now, thinking how utterly stupid they'd been as kids. But he had no reason to love the sun at the time being. Oh no, he was grumbling blackly at its passing. For the few days that they'd been flying down from Mt. Caubvik, it had gotten colder by degrees. Heck, he was sure he'd seen icicles forming near Bima's nostrils. They'd taken frequent stops, Bima usually being the one to shelter the carrier with her wings, which warmed up in no time flat. Once the turtle had complained of being hot.

The silver blue dragon had rolled her eyes, frankly fed up with all the whining, and booted Raph out with her hind foot, which had been under her hip. Rijinn mumbled sleepily about 'kids' and slipped off again into oblivion. Later that night, Raph had felt Bima pull his numb body back into the warmth of her wings.

Now it was day three of the journey home, and Raph, yet again, was near a night-smothered Manhattan. **_Man, it's gonna be good to get home again! I bet Mikey was drivin' Leo, Don an' Splinta insane! _**

Rijinn checked his altitude level and dropped a few dozen feet. _The feeling's mutual for me. You, Bima, and what's-her-name are the worst lot I've seen for a long time._

**_Say that again, _**Keilah growled.

_Fine, I will! _He proceeded to recite the last sentence, ending with a glance at Bima, who was glaring icily.

_I swear, I'll have to get your Master Splinter to whack this one on the head for me, _she grunted, playfully ramming her brother in the air. He yelped as only a millennium-old dragon can, barely missing a skyscraper window. Bima did a barrel roll, zooming away from Rijinn and rocketing toward the river. _You can't catch me, nyeh nyeh! _she taunted.

Rijinn confided the next smouldering comment to Raph. _She knows I can't breath underwater like she can. Darn!_

His partner grinned evilly. **_Why not leave 'er in the dust? I know the way home._**

_Yes, Madame Lassie._

**_Hardeehar. Fuuuuunnnny. I'm laughing real hard here. _**

And just when he thought it couldn't get any weirder, it did.

_Calm down, Don. It's just another dragon mark.. _

Don just kept fuming. When was it going to end? First a tail, ears, and now this! For the love of Pete, he hoped to high heaven that Mikey, Leo, and Raph went through this too. They'd understand in full what it was like to have this on them! He felt like a one-man circus!

"How on earth can my reptilian attributes give me a _tattoo_?!" he bellowed grouchily. "And on my _shell_ what's more! This is odder than Halloween on the Fourth of July! I declare, one more of these shows up and I'm gonna sue!"

"Sue whom, Donnie? Nobody to sue here," Mikey grinned. It had been three days since his fall into the sewage hole. Thankfully, and to the relief of Splinter and Leo, Don had gotten the shower working. Only this morning had he discovered a dark black design on his carapace. Not that it was all that odd, but it certainly put a gang feeling around him. Complete with dragon ears and a tail, Don looked very much a real Purple Dragon.

"If that Japanese guy was still alive, I'd sue _him_! But you, Michelangelo, will do nicely for a stand-in!" Don growled, looking at the alleged tattoo in the mirror. The thing was, it had an aura of power around it, almost as if a piece of dragon strength had been implanted into the confused turtle. A large circle took up the two middle plates of his shell, containing a half-open eye. The symbol for telekinesis.

Saesha blushed slightly and averted her eyes to stare into space. Don, I never told you, but besides being able to teleport, I'm also a bit of a telekinetic. I can move things with my mind. I also have a mark such as yours, but it is hidden well. 

"Might've been useful info…" he grumbled.

"Hold the phone. Does that mean Don can use his mind as well?" Leo asked.

_No. It marks him as a carrier when I leave. Though when I shall, I cannot say._

Mikey snapped his fingers. "Darn." Leo shot a glare at him, much to the amusement of Saesha.

The lavender dragon smiled sweetly. _Do not be so happy to see me leave. When Iwansi is in one of you, I may be your only link to sanity, along with Kiyo. He and I are the down to earth dragons._

Mikey muttered, "Liar. Sanity, my eye." Don looked at him mournfully, as if to say, 'Please, shoot me now!'. "Oops, wrong choice of words."

_The rest are actually a little loony. _

Rijinn, one of the 'loony' dragons, raised his upper lip in disgust. _You want me to land in that muck mess? Yuck, that's even nastier than your airsickness._

There was a whoosh beside the hovering reptile and Bima butted him in the side. _Thought ya lost me, eh? This old grandma isn't creaky enough for that, young sonny._

Ignoring her comment, Raph rolled his eyes. **_No, idiot, there's a sewer entrance right below your fat bum, _**he pointed out dryly. **_If you weren't so blind, you'd have noticed. Whaddya think I have to walk in? That's right, dumb face: the muck mess._**

_That would explain the smell, _Bima whispered to Keilah. Raph shot her an exasperated look and she shrugged. _It's not as if we dragons have cat eyes like you, ninja wanna-be. _He growled a low warning.

**_Well, at least he takes showers! _**Keilah defended.

Bima looked stung. _Good grief, don't getcher feathers ruffled 'bout an insult to your boyfriend._

**_BOYFRIEND?!_** the two carriers exclaimed, outraged. **_WHAT IN TARNATION ARE YOU SMOKING?!?! _**Both dragons clapped their paws over their ears and groaned in distress, landing blindly in the tunnel.

Rijinn squeaked a claw around in his ear ruefully. _I think we know what peeves 'em now, Toad Ma._

Bima was all but cringing. _Yup. We know, and I daresay we won't do that again, for the sake of my hearing. _Her brother murmured a tart apology to Raph, who was huffing like a wildman. The turtle snarled something best left unmentioned and went into a squatting position, shooting death glares at them. _Somebody's a little pissed._

**_No, really. Ya think? _**Raph growled darkly. Bima could've sworn angry flames danced in his eyes. **_I will honestly get you back. If you and I were able to be in the physical world at the same time, I'd…_**He shook a tightly clenched fist and went back to muttering blackly.

Rijinn stretched his neck out, taking in a few whiffs of sewer air, and drew back. _You live here?_ he asked incredulously.

**_To put it bluntly, yes. Boy, are ya low on brains today, Rij. _**Needless to say, it got violent for a few moments. Bima had to step into the mental battle and shove each one to the ground.

_Behave, children! BEHAVE! _she ordered with all the severity of a nursemaid. Then the insults began to fly.

_So, think I'm brainless, boxjaw?_

_**Yep, I think ya are, dweeb.**_

_Goat beard._

_**Meat head.**_

_Chipmunk._

**_Slug. _**

_Worm._

_**Snail.**_

_Horse dung._

**_Cow poo._**

_Lard butt._

_**Egg head.**_

_Hold up! _Bima roared suddenly. _Knock it off. We're wasting minutes just sitting here like rotting fruit. _Raph and Rijinn bared their teeth at one another, heedless of her words. She stamped a foot. _Quit acting like little kids!_

Keilah appeared and whispered softly into Raph's ear. His eyes went wide as ripe watermelons and he fell suprisingly silent. With a grin, she pulled the same trick on the dragon beneath Bima's other paw. Both males were soon chatting amiably, cheesy smiles pasted onto their faces.

Bima got up and glanced warily at the human. _What'd you do exactly? _She responded with a secretive wink and said nothing more.

Minutes later, they arrived at the main pipe junction. **_Here we are! _**Raph grinned. **_Strange, though. Don and the others ain't out to see us. Wonder where they are?_**

Bima hopped into the yawning hole in the middle of the room, a muffled yell and ground shaking thump proof she'd hit the bottom. Rijinn and Raph exchanged confused glances before the dragon dove headfirst into the hole. Unfortunatly, he was a little too large around his, shall we say, girth.

_Arrgh! Darn it all, now I'm stuck in this stupid position! Why on earth did I eat that last donkey? _The silly thing was, he had stretched his hind legs out behind him. Now they were flailing around like live fish out of water. His wings were also pinned to his sides, holding him 'butt-up' in the air.

A glowing pair of blue eyes laughed at him from below. _I say there, old Rij, do you mind? You're blocking the light with your enormous hips. _Rijinn growled and struggled futilely to free his 'hips'.

_I don't have hips, gender confused reptile! You do! _

Several minutes before Rijinn had gotten stuck, Don was thinking about what Keilah had told them about how she came across Bima. If it were true that she was fifteen, she wouldn't have been fleeing bullies. It's absurd. Most kids would've grown out of that. She must've done something so bad that she was made to run.

As he was getting up from his position at the table (Leo had miraculously saved his eggs from the floor), what would be labeled as a 4.1 on the Richter scale shook the lair. He lost his balance and fell to the floor with a loud 'oof!'. Various sizes of rubble came down from the ceiling, clattering on the floor.

"Whoa, dude! What was that?" Mikey said from the kitchen. Being the cook, he had been savoring Leo's first edible dish. "Earthquake?"

"Nuh-uh," Don grunted, picking himself up.

_Hey! I sense Rijinn! _Saesha informed Don. The turtle's ears perked up considerably as he ran to the blocked entrance.

"Hello! Hey, guys? You there? Need a little help!" he yelled.

Bima turned around from her work. _Is that Donatello I hear?_

_Don't ask questions, just pull! _Rijinn commanded sourly, pushing with all his might to get out of his predicament.

_I see you've gained weight, dear brother, _a voice observed dryly.

_Shaddup, Saesha. I don't need your wit right now. Hey, where you going?! Get back here! _Bima withdrew back down the tunnel to the place where she'd crashed.

_Aha! The door! _she proclaimed victoriously.

"Thank heaven! We've been stuck in here for days on end!" Don sighed in relief.

Bima grinned. _Do I detect a change around you, sir?_

"Don't you dare even say anything."

Rjinn tapped his claw on the ground impatiently. _I'm sick of playing 'Fat Woodchuck Gets Stuck in a Burrow'. Tatsu reverse. _

"Aiiiyeee!" Raph tumbled down the slide with all the grace of a swan chick. With a loud yelp, he fell into the hole that Bima had produced on her impact.

The blue dragon peeked in with a smile. _Ah, back in the world of the living, are we?_

Raph leapt out with a yell and tackled Bima. "World of the livin'? Yer soon gonna be leavin' that place!"

Don pounded on the door. "Raph, quit bein' a hot head! Tatsu morph!"

The red banded turtle froze. "Wait a minute. Since when does Donnie have a dragon?" There a soft whisper and a lavender dragon, about a third Bima's size, appeared without warning before them. "Holy shell!"

Saesha looked disapprovingly at him. _You're quite the charmer._

**_C'mon, guys, cooperate! We've gotta open that door! _**Don exclaimed. Saesha rolled her eyes, grumbled something, and implanted her sharp claws on the door, pulling with all her might. Bima elbowed her and grabbed the bottom of the door, wrenching it out with titanic strength.

"What the shell happened to our home?!" Raph roared in disbelief.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: **Yet another annoying disclaimer….I own all the OCs in this story, no one else.

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**19.**

Raph's eyes widened larger than goose eggs as he stared in horror at the ruins where his home had once been located. It was a shambles! Needless to say, the interior decorator had a very 'cavemanish' style of décor. Huge slabs of gray and brown concrete, aged from constant contact with sewer water, lay scattered around the lair. Occasional plops echoed off the floor as several pebbles fell from the now enlarged ceiling. The support beams were creaking under the strain of the upper level.

Saesha padded to his side and observed, with a sense of disgust, the nearly obliterated chamber. 'I declare, you'll drool enough to water the entire city of Manhattan if you continue to gape like that,' she commented dryly, watching as Raph self-consciously shut his gawking mouth.

He heard a soft thumping to his left, tensing as it came closer. If it was the thing that'd destroyed their Lair, he'd attack with unequaled ferocity. Carefully removing his Sais from his belt, he whirled around and started with surprise to see Mikey coming at a dead bolt toward him. Well, it was a dead limp actually. Raph noticed the cast right away.

"Hey, Raph! What's cookin'?" Mikey grinned and slapped him on the shell. Saesha rolled her eyes, muttered something indecipherable, and padded toward a cot at the far end of the Lair. Mikey followed her with his eyes. "What's with her? Think she'd never seen a turtle with a cast before."

Raph stuck his Sais back in his belt and raised an eye ridge. "Mikey, I think I'm correct when I say she's been with ya for the last, I dunno, four days. You're such a dimwit, shell for brains."

Mikey protested loudly when Bima nudged him from behind. _Live and learn, I always say._

"You got the live part right, but the learnin' needs some workin' on." Rijinn snickered forebodingly as Saesha returned with Leo and Splinter in tow. "Hey, Sensei," Raph greeted the rat. "What, uh…what happened here?" He scratched his head. "One of Don's experiments go wrong?"

Saesha frowned as Don whispered something to her. 'No, but you'll think something else went wrong in a couple of seconds,' she finally said. There was a flash and Don was once again in the physical world. Only to Raph, It looked like half of Saesha stayed behind.

"What the?!" the red banded turtle exclaimed in surprise, hopping backward a few feet. "Don, ya got EARS?" Something moved around behind his brother. "And a TAIL? And PURPLE eyes?! What in shell did you do?" he demanded.

Don held up a hand with a knowing smirk. "Three, two, one…" he counted. He was just about to ask again what he was doing, when searing pain came directly from Raph's behind. It felt like a hot poker had been stabbed to the bottom of his carapace.

Old Faithful strikes again, Rijinn rumbled gleefully as his carrier howled.

Through tears, Raph managed a black growl. "Will somebody tell me what just happened?!" Mikey was rolling on the floor with helpless laughter. Even the dignified Saesha, who appeared in their minds, had a smile playing on her muzzle. Leo coughed to masked chuckling, and Splinter simply stood still, eyes flowing over with mirth.

_Wohahaha! That's hilarious! No wonder Don was so angry when he got his! _

**_That's hardly fair, Bima._**

_Speak for yourself! I haven't laughed this much in a long time, _the silver blue dragon roared. Mikey unconsciously evaded a steaming tear from Bima. Raph was fuming. When would they tell him what went wrong? He felt incredibly left out.

How unfortunate! Rijinn murmured playfully. It finally came to him. With a shudder, he twisted around to see a twitching dark red tail.

"Now, Raph, you join me in my suffering," Don grinned, crossing his arms over his plastron. Raphael was beyond being horrified. He was downright angry.

Mikey held up an imaginary skull. "Oh, woe is me! What to do, what to do!"

Splinter spread his arms in a gesture for silence. "Now then, shall we continue this happy reunion later? I believe Raphael deserves an explanation for our home's current state." The laughter subsided reluctantly, scattered giggles still finding their way to his ears. A glare finished the job. "Please sit." A couple muffled thumps and two dragons and four turtles were making themselves comfortable. "During your absence, Raphael…." He proceeded to start.

About twenty minutes later, Raph was feeling no better toward his new appendage, or Mikey. "We're ninjas! We're s'posed ta hear these things!" he growled.

Mikey crossed his arms and scowled. "Hey! You prob'ly can't hear over a Utrom hoverboard either, dude!"

"Silence!" Splinter ordered forcefully. "Neither of you shall continue doing such disrespect to one another!" Don's ears flicked a little in annoyance; the tone of his master's voice was not pleasing when you can hear things nearly fifty feet away as if they were two.

_You got served. _

"Shut it, Bima," Raph grumbled blackly.

I think we're all ready for lunch, eh Toad Ma?

_Quite so, Rijinn. _

"Don't let Leo near the kitchen!"

_Aye aye, Captain Michelangelo._

"I got lunch duty!" Mikey shot for the kitchen, Leo following with his right arm lying limply against his side.

"What happened to Leo an' Mikey, Donnie? How come you weren't hurt, bro?" Raph asked curiously, massaging his newly appeared tail.

Don shrugged. "I have reason to believe it was Saesha who protected me." The lavender dragon mumbled sheepishly and turned an interesting shade of purple. "Well, you did say you have telekinetic powers."

'To some extent, yes.'

He snapped his fingers in glorious realization. "Which means those irregular domes we all woke up in were constructed by you!" The blush deepened.

'You're embarrassing me.'

_Aw, our little girl's all grown up._

OUR little girl? You're sadly mistaken. What in the name of claws possessed you to say such a thing?

_Sarcasm is a foreign language to you I see._

**_Cut the jokes. I'm starving._**

_Fine, little Miss Muppet._

Eating her curds and whey.

_**You guys are really into this whole Mother Goose act, huh?**_

_More or less._

**_Can I PLEASE go eat? My stomach's killin' me!_**

"Well, if it were killing you, we wouldn't have to feed ya," Raph scoffed suddenly.

**_What's your problem?_**

"It might hafta do with the blindingly obvious fact that I have a tail."

_Sheesh, somebody woke up on the wrong side of the dragon today, _Bima muttered, stabbing his tail with a silver claw. He flinched and yelped slightly before whirling around and tackling her.

We all know what this is gonna result in.

"Ahem." Both turtle and dragon stopped the would-be brawl with mournful glances at Splinter, Don at his side. "I have an important matter to discuss with you sister, Saesha. I would appreciate it greatly if you retreated to the kitchen to help Leonardo and Michelangelo with lunch."

**_Saved by the rat! _**Keilah breathed gratefully. Bima grumbled almost sadly before letting Keilah take her place on top of Raph.

"Getcher body offa me!" he grunted, shoving her off.

"This must be the second instance that's happened," the girl remarked, picking herself up.

"At least Mikey's there ta supervise Leo. No tellin' what poison he'd cook for us."

Once the two bickering teens had gone, Splinter sighed and knelt on the ground. "Sit, Donatello. I would like you to release Saesha now." Don obeyed and Saesha replaced him. "Now, what did you wish to discuss with me?"

'I have memories of a small child when we were not but dragonets ourselves,' she said, eyes steely. 'We had been happy. Oh so very happy, when HE came. Shredder killed her to get to us. Luckily I was able to transport away before he was able to get his grimy paws upon us, but she…she sacrificed for us, mere legends to all the outside world. This affects how easily we shall be able to reach Iwansi and Kiyo, for now, he will be barring our path.'

Splinter stroked his chin deeply in thought. "The web grows more tangled with every passing day it seems. I have no doubts that Shredder thinks us dead, but we are not so vulnerable to bomb explosions. I expect he was a tad suspicious about Tiquae's report of our so-called demise. Let me inquire once more: have you information on where your remaining siblings are.

Saesha made a face. 'Whom, may I ask, do you want to know about?'

"Iwansi, if it is not trouble enough."

'Oh, yeah. I know where she is. The problem is getting there.'

"How so?"

'I beg you to reconsider your choice.'

"Please tell me why I should."

'Would it deter you slightly if I told you she was at the bottom of Marianas trench?'


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **I DO NOT OWN THE TMNT.

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**20.**

'**Did I just hear you correctly?'**Don stammered. **'You said Marianas Trench.'**

'Would I lie, Donatello?' A piercing stare on Saesha's part was directed at him.

'**Well, no..'**

'Then you heard me right.'

Splinter rose, cracking his back in painfully loud snaps. "I see we shall have some difficulty reaching your sibling, am I right?" he asked calmly, eyes unblinking.

Don appeared troubled. **'Sensei, do you even know how deep that place is? Over seven miles! How on Earth are we supposed to get seven miles underwater without being crushed by extreme pressure?'**he demanded.

"Technology has its ups and downs, my son. I am surprised you did not think of it before."

'There's something else, Splinter.'

"Please explain yourself, Saesha."

'On New Years Eve, we dragons are given specifically enormous amounts of power,' she explained rather quietly. 'So much that it overflows out of us. Do you understand what would happen if we all were assembled in the same place? Rijinn has mentioned to me a device that Keron and Nechai used. It was named a spirit extractor. If we were to all be, and I'm not saying we will, ripped from your sons' minds and placed in some sort of energy channeling machine, it would mean the end of this world as we know it. The magical properties of dragons have enough energy to blow this continent sky-high and if used correctly, the entire world. Tiquae could hold this Earth hostage with just a word.' Her bright lavender eyes were glowing.

Splinter stroked his chin. "This is a most troubling development, Saesha. We must get to your sister at once."

'**Again I bring up the stinging subject of how.'**

A stare. "You know what your task is, my son, and although I would not normally encourage such an escapade, circumstances dictate it must be done. Do not tell your brothers of this just yet, though. I am sure Michelangelo would get overly excited."

'That would be the case.'

Mikey poked his head gleefully out the kitchen door. "Hey dudes and dudettes! Lunch is served!"

Saesha gave up her position to Don, announcing that she needed a nap. "What is it today, Mystery Meat?" he chuckled, walking side by side with Splinter.

"Nope! Girled cheese!" Mikey felt a searing glare boring into the base of his skull. "Er, I mean grilled cheese!" Keilah grunted and made as if to kick him in the rump.

"Go 'head. Give 'im the boot, Keilah," Raph encouraged. "All this cookin's gone to his head."

"Hey!"

Y'know, it would be rather lovely to see him go flying, Rijinn mused thoughtfully.

_You and me both, brother, _Bima said.

"If you guys were out, I'd be stringin' you up for punchin' bags!"

_Says the little turtle with puny muscles._

Yah. Puny muscles, Rijinn agreed, pulling a Swedish accent.

Mikey grinned evilly and stomped on Raph's twitching tail. "OW!" he roared, whirled around the grabbing his appendage to tenderly nurse it. "Jus' cuz it's new don't mean I can't feel anything!" he snarled, voice more whimper than anger.

"Well, dude, you'd better tell your friend Rijinn to quit messin' with my cooking skills!" Mikey delivered his ultimatum sourly. "AND insulting my muscle mass! I'm a buff guy!" He struck a modeling pose, eliciting several loud guffaws from all the inhabitants.

"Are you goin' for the muscley brainless jock effect, or the puny brainless nerd effect? Cuz ya got both in the bag."

"My sons! Silence!" Splinter ordered rather sternly. They all shut up in a matter of seconds. "I am aware that you are all exceedingly hungry, but your sister, Bima and Rijinn, is at the bottom of the ocean and needs assistance."

Leo's jaw hung open. "W-where?"

"Marianas Trench," Don stated. "And by my calculations, we haven't much time before Keron and Nechai get out of that gopher hole you dug, Rijinn."

The red dragon scowled. I never told you about that! Don motioned to his own skull with a small smile. Oh, drat that mind reading ability! Ling Pi, I'll have your head for this!

"Ling Pi didn't bestow that ability upon you guys. You've always had it."

True. It did make stealing goats much easier when we knew their thoughts.

"You're hopeless," Don said.

Mikey had long ago abandoned his cooking supervision, leaving Leo to burn the sandwiches. "So, dude, how're we getting' to the bottom of the ocean?" Don gave him a disbelieving stare and right then and there, the turtle realized what they were bound to do.

"WHOA!" Keilah, Raph, Mikey, Saesha, and Leo all tumbled out of thin air. Low groans and fervent complaints of broken limbs were heard under the wriggling mass of bodies.

"You're sittin' on my tail!"

"Hey, it's nothin' when Leo's mooning in your face!"

"Oh yeah? Well I've got full view of Saesha's behind as well!"

'My wings are getting squashed!'

_Ow! Rijinn, get off me!_

Why're you complaining?! You're not even down there!

_Neither are you!_

. . . Your point?

Leo had managed to tumble off the top, resulting in a large wail of protest from Saesha. 'You have your hind quarters directly in my face, Leonardo!'

"Leo, your sword hilt's pokin' my eye out!" Keilah complained hotly.

'I'm so glad I'm in here…' 

"Raph! OW, that Sai's givin' me open heart surgery!"

"Well, your…uh…"

"Exactly! I don't have sharp weapons! And you're currently squashing my broken leg! YEOW!"

Raph dragged himself out of the pile, throwing an exasperated glare at his tail, which was firmly lodged under Keilah. With a hard yank, he freed it, unbalancing the girl in the process. Yelling enough to wake the dead, she tumbled into an open crate full of fish.

Here comes the S.W.A.T. team, guys!

Leo clapped his good hand over her mouth, hissing a sharp warning. Immediately, the turtles and dragon dissipated into the shadows. Keilah's eyes wandered to Leo's, full of apprehension. Slowly, he released her so she could breath and froze as voices met their ears.

"Did you hear somethin' over here? Sounded like a yell!" one voice remarked. A bright flashlight beam pierced the darkness of night and seagull calls.

"Yeah, I heard it. Prob'ly some homeless guy. Better check it out anyway," the other sighed. Leo saw Raph motion silently with an evil grin. Only two. They'd be able to knock 'em out cold with ease. Carefully he repositioned himself, throwing a warning glance to Keilah. She remained quiet. With a sharp nod, he broke out of the shelter of the crate and tackled the first man. A quick blow to the neck and he was unconscious.

"That was easy," Raph remarked. Leo winced as his wounded shoulder shrieked in protest at being wrenched around in such a manner. His brother's eyes softened noticeably and he arrived at Leo's side to steady him. "Y'okay, bro? We shoulda left ya at home with Splinter."

Saesha padded out from behind a crane. 'We haven't much time before dawn. I'd say maybe ten hours.'

"You don't think that's 'nough time ta get Iwansi?" Raph demanded suddenly. A moan from Leo made him revert his attention.

'Considering it's in the Pacific, no.'

'Hello? Wake up, Saesha! You can teleport!' 

_It seems our dear Saesha can't do everything, little turtles._

Raph threw Bima a glare that stabbed knives. "Zip it, gackbag."

'Shh! We have to find a sub!' 

"Oh, so that's how we're getting' down there! We're stealin' a sub!" Mikey grinned.

'**Commandeer, nautical term. We're gonna commandeer a sub.'**

"And that submarine is where?"

'**Should be right in front of this cargo dock.'**

"Oh. This should be easy then."

'I can think of an obstacle,' Saesha whispered.

"What?" Raph asked, supporting Leo.

'That.'

Mikey took one look around the crate she'd appeared from and groaned. "Aw shell! Wouldn't ya know it! There's a Foot freighter at the pier!"

Leo struggled upright. "They must've somehow caught wind of this. But who from?"

Take a wild guess and look up there, Rijinn instructed. There they stood, Keron and Nechai, on the deck.

"Drat them goons!" Raph snarled.

"This'll be a trick and no mistake," Don muttered.

If I'm not mistaken, them goons have pretty big goose eggs on the back of them heads, Rijinn imitated Raph with a grin of pure mischief. Raph glared. Don't forget, them goons also have spirit extractors.

"Alright. Point taken. Now shut up."

'**We're gonna need a diversion. Our dear buddy Oroku has unwittingly presented us with a way to Iwansi.' **He directed their view to the deck of the ship, where a Foot sub hung suspended by cables.

"Don, you kinda forgot they can track their machines."

'**And you kinda forget I am a professional hacker slash technogeek. It's a piece of cake to mask the tracking signal.'**

Raph grumbled, "Everybody's a critic." Mikey giggled, prompting a soft chuckle from Leo, who was currently leaning heavily on his red garbed brother. "Hey, you wanna take a tumble, keep on laughin'," Raph warned, poking him in the plastron.

_So, what's the plan, Donnie?_

'**Obviously you, Rijinn, Raph and Keilah are gonna need to be the diversion. Here's the plan: I'll sneak onboard the sub, knock out any or all of the Foot inside—'**

"I've been thinkin', Don," Mikey piped up. "Wouldn't it be Feet?"

'**No Mikey. Be quiet.'** Keilah snorted with laughter at the question. **'As I was saying, I'll get the sub into the water. Rijinn, you can leave whatever tokens of love on Nechai and Keron you want.' **Rijinn bared his teeth and flapped his wings experimentally. **'Bima, you and Keilah will be working to sabotage the engine of the freighter.'**

_Will do, Captain! _she saluted.

'**Saesha and I will get the sub running. On my signal, all of you have to book and hop in.'**

**_We're not all gonna fit, _**Keilah pointed out. **_Someone should go to stay with Splinter._**

"Well it ain't gonna be me!" Raph declared vehemently.

Mikey held up his hands. "Nada."

Leo swallowed hard. "I guess I'll go with Sensei when we're done. After all, what use am I to you with a gashed arm?"

'**We're going to need Bima. She has the skills to breath underwater. After Saesha teleports to the surface location of Marianas Trench, I'll need you to keep watch. Got it?'**

Raph, I think we're going to have to keep tabs on things over here, Rijinn said pointedly. If Saki or Tiquae are planning something, we'll need to alert your bros right away.

"You can communicate over long distances?" Raph asked incredulously. Rijinn nodded an affirmative.

Saesha changed into Don. "Keilah, here's a little present to help you with your mission," he murmured, grinning. He pulled something out of his belt pouch and shoved it into her hands. One look and her face was beaming with pleasure. Don reverted back to Saesha in a flash.

'**Oh, and Raph?'**

"Yeah?"

'**You're gonna need to learn how to use that tail one of these days.' **Before Raph could protest, Don had given the order to move out.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: **You all should know by now that I don't own the TMNT. Just mah dragons, mah villains, and Keilah.

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**21.**

Man, it was quiet tonight. Oroku had let them off easy when he said they could guard the goods. Sighing in bliss, the watchman on the freighter sipped his coffee. And to think that crackpot oriental menace was afraid of giant turtles and a rat interrupting their mission. That'll be the day. _Maybe they'll come when pigs fly, _he murmured to himself with a smirk. Ever since the time he had been recruited, he'd thought Oroku was positively odd in terms of paranoia. Just the other day he'd been ranting angrily about dragons of all things. _That man is going mad._

He didn't see why he had to sit here in the bloody cold winter night. Shivering, the man took another swig and pulled his jacket tighter. Nobody, as far as he was concerned, was getting past him. They'd been trained in ninjitsu for a reason. Any offenders of the boundary line where the ship met dock would be warned off.

Suddenly, he heard a clatter. _That dolt of a captain's dropped his telescope on the deck again! _he groaned inwardly. Muttering darkly about bosses who sat on their lazy posteriors, he rounded the corner. Nothing. No telescope, no nothing. With a growl, he sipped more coffee from the shaking mug in his hands. What he wouldn't give for a nice warm bed and a coverlet full of goose down right now!

Just then, a twinkle by the smokestack caught his eye. A piece of glass? Huh. It was probably Jives' beer bottle again. That sailor was drunk twenty-four seven, it seemed, which is why he had a wolverine's temper most of the time. To be sure, though, he started back around to the stairs. Once by the smokestacks, he heard a whisper of, "Lookie here! Foot goon twelve a clock!" and had just enough time to squeak in surprise before being smashed in the face by a green fist.

His mug was removed from his nerveless hands before Raph lowered him to the roof. "Mmm, not bad stuff." Mikey took a sip and grinned, toasting to an imaginary friend. "Caffeinated. Good thing Raph didn't get his hands on this."

Raph grunted with the task of binding the man hand and foot with some rope they'd used to grapple onto the ship. "Geez, this guy needs to go onna diet! You ever see a beached walrus like him before?"

Mikey made a face at a sudden sourness in his mouth. "Nope, an' prob'ly never will again." He flung the coffee mug into the bay. "I take back my comment on this poison."

Lemme get this straight. You guys are infiltrating this type of facility all the time? And you never bothered to tell me?

"We're ninja, Rijinn. What else wouldja expect?" Raph asked with a smirk.

Mikey looked around warily. "Am I the only one who hears an elephant ascending the stairs?"

"Try an entire herd," Raph whispered, dragging their captive to the edge of the roof. He dropped him with a loud thump on the wooden deck, cringing. When no reaction was forthcoming, he hopped down.

Mikey smacked his brother in the beak with his flailing cast on the way down. "Oops, sorry Raph, but the dinosaurs are comin'," he hissed.

Shall we give them a nice birthday surprise then? Rijinn inquired with an evil grin.

"Oh yes, let's." Raph raised his hands. "TATSU MORPH!" Rijinn rocketed out from under the roof and spat a gout of searing ruby flames at the army of Foot lackeys with a roar.

Keilah jumped at the outburst above the hull. "What the…"

_It's just Rijinn! _Bima stated matter-of-factly._ Now, are we gonna blow a nice sized hole in that engine?_

The girl hefted the bomb in her hands with a smile. "Yep." The darkness below deck made it almost impossible to see where they were going. It made the glowing of Keilah's eyes all the more creepy. With a gasp, she fell to the side. "Man, that dragon is a little too enthusiastic about his role in this nice diversion!"

_Oh, and what are we? Boring old moon rocks? You forget, we give 'party crasher' an entirely new meaning._

"True, true! Ah, here's our buddy!" She put her hand on the humming engine, withdrawing it with a slight shriek. "Yeek, that's HOT!"

"Rats are getting bigger 'round here."

_Somebody shoot that hulking mass of a man…_Bima groaned.

"What? And leave Mr. Pinhead out?" Keilah asked.

"Mr. Pinhead is about to kick your sorry buttocks," Nechai growled, cracking his knuckles audibly.

Keron grinned and right then, Keilah saw his glowing yellow hands. "Don't forget Mr. Hulking-mass-of-a-man."

"Oh, I won't." Keilah slapped the bomb onto the engine with a snarl, releasing Bima in a heartbeat. **_Get ready to blow this popsicle stand!_**

"HIYA!" Another Foot goon went sailing overboard, impacting the water with a splash.

Saesha sat on her hind legs and clapped. 'Nicely done, Leonardo. Nicely done.'

Leo bowed awkwardly. "And that, folks, was only with one katana!" The other blade sat lamely in the sheath, for its counterpart right arm was still considered useless by fighting standards.

The lavender dragon hissed, sat bolt upright, and vanished. A second later, twelve watchmen ran past Leo and jumped howling into the freezing water, posteriors flaming purple. Leo whirled around where Saesha sat on the moonlit railing, polishing her claws in a professional mocking gesture while he gaped.

'**Purty useful stuff, that teleporting,' **Don said to answer Leo's public gawking. **'Now then, Saesha, if you would be so kind as to let me out? I'd like to do a crush depth check on the little subbie over there.' **

Leo shook his head as he gazed at the fancy contraption. "I tell you now, this smells suspiciously of a trap."

"Naw, I'd say it smells more like fish, Leo," Mikey called with a victorious pose.

"Raph?"

"Rijinn's roasting a couple goons up on the roof. He'll be fine. But it'll stink of singed hair if I'm thinkin' right."

'That'll be the day…' 

Mikey glared at Saesha, who was doing a dragon's version of whistling inconspicuously. "Hey! I'm under a lotta pressure here!"

'**No, you're not. You''ll be under seven miles of pressure in about twenty minutes by my count.'**

Now it was Mikey's turn to poke fun. "Wow, you count Donnie? How high? Two?"

'**Honestly, you have no originality,'**Don declared vehemently. Saesha rolled her eyes and hopped off her perch, claws clicking.

'Say, do you think it's a little—' She was cut off when Rijinn flew overhead at an uncomprehendable speed, dodging missiles from a helicopter right on his tail. 'Must I do everything? Rijinn's gonna be fried chicken in a few minutes.' Saesha's eyes glowed brightly, then she disappeared. Bright purple flames erupted from inside the helicopter cockpit.

Leo feared for her safety at the moment; the helicopter was a raging inferno of plummeting metal. "SAESHA! Get outta there!" he bellowed. Nothing but the roar of fire filled his ears. There was no mind voice from Saesha. "DONNIE!"

Don decided to announce his presence. Where he was, Leo couldn't tell.** 'What's with the dramatics?'** he heard.

A loud splash prevented him from turning before being soaked to the bone by seawater. 'You look like the Swamp Thing,' the lavender dragon stated. It was true; dripping seaweed was draped all over his currently hulking form.

A piece of the ocean plant found its way into his mouth. "Bleh!" he spat, shooting the offending frond out. A couple shakes were enough to get rid of the rest. "Where are you?"

Mikey started guffawing uproariously. 'You didn't notice the extra weight on your upper carapace?'

He groaned. "Some ninja I am!" Leo couldn't believe he hadn't felt the sharp claws digging into his shell rim! "Get off, you watermelon with legs!" Saesha snorted and vaulted down, spotlessly clean of all oceanic plants. The lavender dragon's eyes were laughing publicly at him. "Gee, it isn't enough that I already have a gash, now a copter chooses to gimme a shower!" he growled, much to the amusement of his orange garbed brother.

Saesha's ears perked up and she stood bolt upright. 'Do I hear another boat engine? It sounds like a—'

'Speed boat!' 

Mikey chanced a glance over the side of the freighter and moaned, "Aw shell! As if we didn't already have enough problems! Here comes ol' Grease Hair himself!"

Bima was getting seriously annoyed at all these positively wretched energy balls flying from Keron's hands. _I swear, you're going to do my job for me, _she grunted, ducking a spirit extractor from Nechai. _With all these luvverly holes in the hull, I'm surprised you haven't already begun to drink seawater—Yeek!_ She was hit in the chest by an energy ball and flung backwards into the wall.

**_Get up, or there's gonna be a gale goin' on in here! _**Keilah shouted desperately, goading the dragon as best she could.

Saesha had been bounding toward the Foot sub but screeched to a halt at the words "Grease Hair". 'Hold that thought Mikey. My assistance is needed.' She disappeared for the third time, much to Don's dismay.

"ARGH!" Keron yelled, tumbling in dignified spread eagle position. Saesha had used herself as a live cannonball, winking at her dumbfounded sister before reappearing on deck.

'You have GOT to stop doing that!' 

Mikey was decked in a matter of seconds. "Owww, you pack more of a punch this time around, Jello-brains!" he groaned, massaging his throbbing head.

Tiquae cracked his knuckles. "I'm merely carrying out my orders, Lazarus. Again, you're as hard to kill as cockroaches." Saesha gave a soft snarl and let Don take the wheel. At seeing the turtle/dragon, Tiquae did a double take and rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "Drat, this was exactly what I was trying to prevent! That's the most messed up mutant I've seen to date! And you," he said, motioning toward Don, when in reality he was talking to the reptile inside of him. "I knew I felt something in that dumping ground you call home."

Leo bellowed a rough challenge. "Dumping ground? At least WE have a father—"

"--You son of a motherless goat!" Mikey finished in Three Musketeers fashion. Leo shot him an exasperated glare. "What?" Mikey shrugged. "It's not like you had anything prettier to say, bro."

"And where is the rat?"

"None 'o yer beeswax!" Mikey shouted, on his feet. He winced, favoring the broken leg, much to Tiquae's amusement.

"I see I left my mark on both of you," he commented, glancing at Leo's bandaged gash. The blue garbed turtle unsheathed a katana in response.

Don let out a tremendous battlecry and charged the man, Bo in hand. "Yeah, but this time, you don't have anything to cave in on us!" He let fly a tornado kick and swatted Tiquae aside with his staff. Don evaded a lightning fast attack from his opponent before jabbing him hard in the midriff.

Mikey watched with wide eyes. "Dude, that guy's got rock hard abs! You ever see anything like that? Denied!" He stuck his hand out in the thumbs-down position as Donnie flew backwards into the wall. The turtle was on his feet in a matter of seconds, growling like a bear. "Y'ever see him so mad?" he asked Leo as Don rushed back in, executing several dragon punches and taking a powerful swing at his opponent.

Leo winced as Tiquae took the full force of Don's improvised bat. "Well, no. The only time that came close was when you erased his Wind Waker game file on accident. Link was never the same," he muttered ruefully. Don, being a technogeek, liked playing RPG video games. They had "strategy challenging" puzzles as Don put it most of the time. However, once Mikey was able to get his paws on any of them, they were doomed.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know that Ganondorf would kill me?"

"That's got nothing to do with you erasing his game file." Tiquae flipped his limp bangs out of his eyes and leapt over the rampaging Don, kicking him in the carapace. "Don's acting like Raph."

"It prob'ly has to do with the fact that he was the last one standing in the Lair. I'm guessing ol' Grease Hair insulted him or Splinter a number of times."

"Either that or—" Don roared deafeningly, and it seemed to his onlookers that his attacks were growing faster by the minute. "What the shell?" Leo cried as his currently enraged brother became a blur of movements.

"Uh, Leo?" Mikey asked hesitantly. "Is that eye thingie on Don's shell s'posed to be glowing like that?"


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: **You've heard it more times than I care to remind you.

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**22.**

"His shell is glowing?" Leo inquired incredulously. Mikey pointed at the whirling tornado of turtle. Sure enough, his dragon mark was glowing as florescently as a light bulb. "What are you doing, Donnie?!" The enraged reptile seemed too out of his mind with hate to answer. The Bo staff was now whistling dangerously through the air. Tiquae was now beginning to see the light; this mad dance was out of anyone's control, including Don's. He whipped out a katana and there was an earsplitting ring as steel met wood. Both unaffected brothers watched in half mezmerization, half horror as Don continued to smack Tiquae around in various directions.

The turtle snarled loud enough to scare a rabbit in Iowa. 'He's gone into a Blood Rage!' Saesha informed them urgently. 'I can't control his mind; he's formed a barrier around himself!' Tiquae heard the news and Leo could've sworn there was a small tinge of fear in his eyes.

"The power," the man murmured, blocking another snake-like stab. "It's incredible."

"Wait. You're saying he can't get out of it?" Leo yelled.

'Yes!' Saesha confirmed. 'At this moment, he cannot tell who is the enemy and who isn't! Don't try to approach him; he's so deep into it, he could mistake you for a different assailant!'

Mikey gulped loudly. "So it wasn't the Wind Waker game file," he muttered. Leo shot him a glare and smacked him upside the head.

'This is what happened to us when Shredder killed Darinyne,' she whispered, a tear sliding down her scaly cheek. 'Only Kiyo is able to penetrate such madness. The soothing element of wind…it's the only way.'

Don roared almost like Rijinn, "You lying piece of…" He was cut off as Tiquae met his blow with a clang.

Bima suddenly burst from under the deck in steam. _What's going on here? We have to leave! The detonating charge is set! _Keron vaulted out after her, shirt and overcoat streaked with sweat. The dragon growled almost wearily and whapped him in the midriff with her tail. He collapsed, unconscious. Nechai soon followed after.

**_It…pain…_**Keilah groaned as Bima retreated into the safety of her mind. The girl lost control of all muscles keeping her standing and fell, hitting the wood with a loud thump. Mikey ran to her side, yelling, concern clearly etched all over his face.

"What were you doing down there?" he accused, checking as much of her body as he dared. She winced when his hand touched her shoulder blade. Carefully Mikey turned her over so she was lying on her stomach. There was a huge abnormal bump between spine and shoulder blade on each side. Praying fervently that he wouldn't offend his eyes, he ripped the back of her black shirt open… and gasped. "…Shell, you guys aren't going to believe this."

Leo, eyes half locked on the rampaging Donatello, limped to Mikey. "What are you gawking at Mikey? Never seen a b—Oh good Lord," he whimpered.

The only thing Don felt was rage. Pure undeniable rage. This…this monster he was fighting had tried to kill his Sensei, his brothers and had destroyed his home. The intense yearning to spill this man's blood was strong inside him. Deftly, Don cracked his Bo against Tiquae's katana and whirled for another strike. He was at ease doing such a thing. It felt right, but at the same time…another part of him was pleading for it to stop. The angered half growled and shoved back the one begging for peace. Flashes of purple peeked at the edges of his vision. Vaguely, he found himself wondering what it was.

Tiquae retreated until his back was at the wall. Don rushed in faster than a bullet and smashed the wall to pieces, where his opponent had stood moments before. The gaping hole was proof of his madness as he flipped and wound up for yet another deadly strike. He was dimly aware of Saesha's voice commanding him to halt. A smirk found its way to his lips. She was no match. He would have Tiquae's blood for payment for his outrageous actions.

He would have his revenge in full! The images of Darinyne, dead and run through by the sword of Tengu filled his mind. The hellish hate the dragons had felt; the loathe bottled up inside. Now he was releasing Saesha's share in a way more violently than he'd ever let pent up emotions. Soon, Shredder would meet the same fate.

Donatello! I command your attendance! Halt! The mind voice was incredibly soft, and yet it held a vast authority. The red mist that clouded his sense of judgment began clearing, although his attacks on Tiquae did not decrease in ferocity and power. This rage is over! A white thunderclap wiped his mind clean of any recesses of the red. Now Don felt at ease. Tired, weary, but at ease. He grunted with the sudden effort of remaining standing. Tiquae lowered his katana and smiled malevolently.

Don's Bo clattered to the deck, riveting Leo's attention from Keilah. "I…can't take a life," the turtle groaned. "I don't know what came over me…" He hung his head from exhaustion; the Blood Rage may not have affected his strength in battle, but now he felt as weak as a new born baby. Tiquae sheathed his sword and began a chant of some sort, holding his hands out in front of him.

NO! Rijinn roared, shattering the silence. You shall not take my sister from me! Sharp silver claws grasped Don's shell and lifted him from the deck. Black fireballs shot out from the Tiquae's hands; Rijinn dodged with only a few centimeters to spare him from anaihilation. In desperation, the dragon dropped his luggage into the submarine hatch and shot gouts of ruby flames at the chanting man.

Don regained his strength almost instantly and climbed into the captain's seat. "Wha…oh shell! The bomb…it's set to go off in five minutes!" He glanced around the sub, wishing he had one of those Triceraton chairs. At least _those_ were specially made for people with tails! There! He leaned forward, checking the crush depth. "Right. This is a research sub, made of thicker metal. I should've known by the layout the first time I set eyes on it! This thing's gonna easily get down to Marianas Trench!" He punched a couple of buttons and pulled several switches. The crane holding the sub captive started to hum.

"Mikey, this is very serious. How can you laugh?" Leo demanded. Mikey was literally rolling with laughter, much to Keilah's chagrin.

"Yeah? What exactly do you find so hilarious?" Keilah asked darkly. Her legs refused to move and her arms felt like jelly. Otherwise she would've gotten up and given that turtle a right nasty series of kicks to the bum. "My shirt is wide open to the world!"

Mikey held his stomach and refused to give a straight answer. "Hahaha, there they flap! And…teehee, so wet and floppy…"

"If you're talking about fish—"

_Keilah, to get to the point, you have itsy bitsy dragon wings, _Bima answered with a weak grin.

"Are you absolutely INSANE? You think that's funny?"

Raph fell onto the deck, smoking like a barbequed rib. "Dang that guy…" he grunted.

Leo rushed to his side, throwing sharp death glares at Tiquae. "What happened, Raph?"

"Rijinn said he was spent of all energy from fightin' those goons up there." Raph gestured to the roof. "And he let me take a fireball in the stomach."

Don stuck his head out the submarine hatch, ears, purple eyes, and all. "Guys, we've gotta book! This thing's gonna be blown skyhigh!"

Mikey and Keilah looked at each other. "BOMB!" they shouted in unison, scrambling for the sub. Don released the vehicle from the crane, coming down into the bay with an almighty splash. Human and turtle vaulted inside, closing the hatch and commanding their technogeek brother to move his shell.

"Leo, we gotta get outta here!" Raph bellowed, on his feet. Leo nodded, and together, they jumped over the railing and onto the dock. "Have fun, Tiq-butt!" Both turtles were sprinting by the time they got to the warehouses. "Get down, Leo!" he said, diving behind a pile of crates. Five seconds later, BLAM!

Five seconds before…

"Don switch to Saesha! NOW!"

Saesha appeared, immediately setting coordinates for who-knows-where. 'Get ready for a bumpy ride!' With a zap, they disappeared. The next moment, it was freezing cold and for some reason, Mikey heard a falcon in the distance.

"Uh, Saesha? Weren't you supposed to teleport to the Pacific ocean?" Mikey asked hesitantly.

'Yes, why?'

"If this is an ocean, then I'm a goat."

'**Saesha, look out the window please.'**

She did. 'Oops.' They were in the snowcapped Himalayan Mountains. Keilah glared. 'Teleportation is a very imprecise art,' she defended.

'**What was wrong with this time? You did just fine in New York.'**

'I am not so much an adept with long distances.'

'**Obviously.'** The submarine creaked and rocked slightly. **'I suggest we get back to the water, Saesha, unless we wanna be turtle and human pancakes.' **The lavender dragon nodded, and her eyes began glowing. Seconds later, they heard seagulls. **'Ah, satisfactory results!'**

Don demanded to be let out. The request was all too willingly granted. "Okay, people. I'm not sure if there's a little turtle's room in here, so you're gonna have to go."

"Uh, where?" Mikey asked. Don pointed outside to the now daylit water. "Lemme get this straight. You want us to PEE out there? In the water?!"

"Would you rather wet the floor?" Don asked, a little too pleased with his brother's discomfort. "And you're not one to complain. Keilah's got clothes."

"And wings," Mikey added with a giggle.

"This is not gonna be pretty," she groaned in distress.

About ten minutes later, Mikey as done, Keilah was dripping, and Don was ready to go. (A/N: I preferred not to let you in on specific details.) "Mikey, if you would shut the hatch, we'll be on our way," the purple garbed turtle said. Mikey obeyed with several glances at Keilah, none too happy with being wet. "Keilah, look for some blankets back there," Don instructed, pointing toward the rear of the sub. He turned back around and hit the switch to fill the ballast tanks. "Here we go!"

It had been almost five hours since their departure from the surface. Mikey had been singing "99 boxes of Pizza on the sub" for nearly two of those hours, Keilah was dozing, and Don was watching the deep-sea fish swim by, not short of fascination in any way. He checked the depth gauge and noted with some relief that they were close.

"Mikey, shut up please!" Keilah moaned.

"Two boxes of pizza on the wall, two boxes of pizza," he sang, completely ignoring her. "Ya take one down, pass it around—GLOMPH!"

The girl stuffed a blanket into his mouth with a smile and sigh of satisfaction. "Peace at last."

'I sense Iwansi. She is near,' Saesha declared. Don peered into the darkness, shifting the headlights so he could see a little better.

"Is it just me, or do I see a yellow glow over there?" he asked himself. Nope. Defintely not himself. "Hey guys, shush it!" he hissed at the two behind him. "I hear something!"

(Oh for the sake of my sanity! If it's one of them plesiosaur menaces come to tease me, I'll rip their crusty heads off!) someone growled darkly. (If not for the fact that I'm stuck down in this forsaken trench, cold, lonely and uttterly ignored by that nard hole Ling Pi! Oh, might as well continue…ninety-nine bottles of water on the sand, ninety-nine bottles of waterrr…)

'Iwansi! Stop this nonsense!' Saesha commanded.

(Saesha?! What are you doing down here, lazy lumps?) she asked in surprise.

'Looking for you.'

(And just how, pray tell, are you getting me out of this tablet?)

'Somebody who matches your temperament exactly is right here with me.'

(I'm assuming he's dead from prssure. Heck, you should be too!)

'It's called technology,' Saesha explained dryly.

(Technology eh? I need to get out more.)

Don cruised around the corner of an outcropping. "Don't mind me, the faithful little turtle captain of this expedition," he muttered. "Now, where's that claw? Ah, here we are." He smacked the button rather hard, sending a large crane-like hand out to retrieve Iwansi's tablet.

(Whoa! What's happening? Is the oceanic plate subducting again?!) she cried, mentally bracing herself.

_Idiot, _Bima murmured.

(Aha! Hello Toad Ma! My, you must be mighty squished in there!) Iwansi observed a tad too cheerfully.

_She hasn't changed a bit. Personally, I'd love to leave here down here, _the silver blue dragon muttered softly to Keilah.

"Got it!" Don exclaimed.

(Got what?)

"You."

(You who?)

He groaned. "Yup, Mikey's gonna have a blast."

"Have a blast with what?" Mikey asked. "Uh, Donnie? You do know that there's a radioactive yellow thing comin' our way, right?"

"That's Iwansi."

"Oh." There was a soft yelp and Mikey stuck his head out from behind Don. "Donnie?"

"Yes?"

"Is there supposed to be water coming in the back?"


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: **Though I regret to say so, I do not own the TMNT. Otherwise I'd have a movie out, more new epis, and loads of goodies. Since that's not happening, I obviously don't own them.

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**23.**

"Water? Tell me it's just from Keilah's hair, Mikey," Don said.

"Nuh-uh, Don," Mikey replied nervously. "If this is dripping from Keilah's hair, she's got the entire Pacific stuck in them thick strands."

Don wriggled out of the chair he was sitting on, letting the sub cruise gently along the trench floor. "Where?" His brother pointed at a panel of the walls where bolts held it in place. Normally, it'd be near impossible for water to leak into a research sub. The techno turtle put his hand on the panel and withdrew it with a yelp similar to Mikey's. "Oooh, that's cold stuff! No wonder all that can survive down here is angler fish and plankton!"

"In English, Don?"

"Plankton are microscopic organisms that dwell in the earth's oceans," Don explained rather flusteredly. "They eat phytoplankton."

Mikey glanced out the window to the dark, silent water. "I'll never look at surfing the same way again."

Don shot him a skeptical look. "I have reason to believe Leo was right about the whole trap thing. This sub's been mildly sabotaged."

"Oh yay. I love sabotage," Keilah grumbled, twitching her wings. It was clear she was in a nasty mood. Submarines that were slowly filling up with water didn't help it much. "And while I'm rambling, may I remind you that Saesha can teleport?"

Mikey and Don exchanged glances. "That may be," Don started quietly, "but she's probably too tired to teleport to the surface. Plus being at such a distance from her siblings really takes a toll on her."

'Too right, Donatello.'

"And weren't you and Bima supposed to be on the surface keeping watch?"

"Would YOU want to swim in the very water you let out waste in?"

"Ah. I see your point."

"Does that mean I should keel over because Raph and Leo aren't here?" Mikey asked, completely ignorant of the other conversation.

Don rolled his eyes and began rummaging through the junk on the floor of the sub, though most of it was soggy and wet by now. "I'll need something to plug the hole until we can get out of this trench. It'll take a miracle," he stated, "to get out without drowning."

"That's real encouraging," Keilah muttered.

(While you're all talking about dying down here, I might have something that'd help, Jedi Counsel,) Iwansi butted in.

"Not now," Don growled. His hand emerged from the pile with a roll of duct tape in tow. "Here we are!" Carefully he searched for the minor puncture in the wall and spread a strip over it. Serveral times this was repeated until it looked like the bandage on Leo's arm.

(Yoohoo?) Once again, she was completely ignored. (Fine, you get no warning, coconut brains,) Iwansi huffed. Don shook his head. Whatever help the yellow dragon had enlisted, he wasn't going to converse about it with her while waiter was seeping in.

'Oh dear,' Saesha whispered.

Mikey sat up straighter and gulped loudly, eyes locked on the window. "Uh, Don, I think I just found Iwansi's way up."

"Hmm?" Don turned around and came to face an enormous, blinking green eye.

Raph was the first to regain consciousness. Groaning, he fought wooden splinters and planks off his plastron and rubbed his head. What happened? Oh yeah. The blast from the freighter had dumped some crates on top of him and Leo. Speaking of which, what time of day was it anyway? He opened his eyes. Nope, still dark, but dawn was coming. The soft light on the horizon was enough proof of that. They'd better book. But first, to find Leo.

He sat up and rolled over until he was on his stomach. Raph got into a crawling position and began digging in random places. After many minutes of crying out from splinters puncturing his fingers and grunting with the effort of moving several undamaged boxes, he struck gold.

"Yo Leo!" Nothing. Still out cold. "Leeeeeooo…" Again, no response. Raph sighed and looked around for a tool with which to wake his brother. His eyes fell on a metal bucket by the side of a companion warehouse. With a malicious grin, he got up, retrieved it, and made his way stealthily toward the docks. He crept up to the space where Leo and he had run through not three hours ago and stared in shock.

The freighter was a shell of its former self. Literally. All matter of deck, smoke stacks, engine room, the whole lot were rubble in the floating hull. "What was in that bomb, Donnie? An Utrom implosion device?" he grumbled, taking apprehensive glances at the dead ship. No sign of Tiquae either. But if they turtles had been able to survive a bomb, so had he. After about twenty seconds of watching for passersby, he rolled across the blackened pavement to the edge of the concrete.

Raph kicked his tail out of the way, grimacing when the kinetic energy tugged at his posterior. He knelt and slowly lowered the bucket the ice-cold waves, which were lapping at the walls of the concrete dock. He waited until it was full to the brim before hauling it up again. Something was strange this morning. Oddly enough, every sound he heard was now louder. A cat meowed and a Dumpster lid slammed shut about thirty feet to his right. He winced as the sound reverberated.

Deciding to push the matter to the back of his mind, Raph stood, carefully keeping most of the water steady. You're evil, you know that? Rijinn commented as the turtle made his way back to the pile of rubbish. A simple "Lift-The-Hand-Over-The-Face-and-Let-It-Drop" would've sufficed. But nooo, you have to dump water on him. There was a smug teasing sound in his voice that Raph decided he did NOT like at all.

"Yer next if ya don't quit buggin' me," he growled. He shuffled over to Leo and, with a smirk pasted clearly on his face, dumped the bucket of water on him.

Leo started coughing. "What…the heck…was that for?" he sputtered crossly, wiping his eyes with his good arm. He took a glance at Raph and groaned. "Not again…"

"Not again what, bro? You delirious or somethin'?"

"Look in that puddle over there, shell for brains," Leo instructed, staggered clumsily to his feet and bracing himself against the cold warehouse wall, "and you'll see why." Rijinn began snickering for no reason at all.

Raph mumbled something about having a concussion but did as he was told. "Look, Leo, I don't see a darn—oh crud." Rijinn's soft snicker became a roar of laughter. "Shut it, Rijinn, this ain't funny!" he snarled. He looked back at the reflection and felt along the sides of his head. Rage gave way to disbelief. "I've got dragon ears an' you think it's funny?" They were relatively soft and covered with short, dark red fur. He could feel veins pulsing in them.

"And red eyes," Leo pointed out.

Speak of the devil! Rijinn guffawed. You fit the part mighty fine! In truth, he did look something of a demon with bright red eyes, red ears, and a tail.

"I look like a red-eyed Chihuahua," Raph grumbled.

Leo smiled and patted him on the carapace. "Remember, Raphael, Mikey's due for ears, tail, and different eye color anytime now."

"Wonder what he'll think of it…"

"AIYEEE!" Don shrieked, taking cover behind the safety of the chair. "What is it?!" The slitted eye blinked once more and the pupils dialated. Keilah sat where she was, staring in shock at it.

(Who do you think's been keeping me company down here all this time, chicken boy? I would've gone stir crazy had it not been for Aelaki,) Iwansi stated smugly. (In words you can understand, _genius_, she's a giant plesiosaur. One of the last living. Bima, Raphael, and Keilah encountered Basilic, a smaller one, in Lake Ontario.) Keilah kept silent.

"A…a dinosaur?" Don asked hesitantly. Aelaki yawned, showing her massive rows of teeth. "She's not going to eat us?"

(She tried a human once, she says. He tasted awful. So she sticks to fish diet. The sperm whales that come down from the surface, not this deep, mind you, she usually cruises around Australia, are an especially good delicacy.)

'Human does taste awful,' Saesha agreed.

"Just how big is Aelaki? Sperm whales are thirty to forty feet long!" The eye alone was the size of a card table!

(Do you want the exact measurements, Tim Taylor?) Iwansi retorted. Mikey sniggered at the reference to "Home Improvement".

"Use your brain."

(Hmmm…lessee here…Aelaki, you wanna take a guess?) A low moaning rumble came from Aelaki and the eye withdrew from the sub window and backed away into the darkness. (She says come out of the trench so she can show you.)

Don reseated himself and brought the claw holding Iwansi's tablet toward him. "Alright, but I'm making sure I don't drop you." He carefully let air into the ballast tanks, watching the gauge so he wouldn't fill it completely. The sub started to rise past the underwater cliffs and away from the trench sand. Particles swirled around in the water.

(Switch your headlights to maximum output.)

"Is it just me, or is she ordering you around like Shredder does Stockman and Hun?" Mikey teased. Don ignored him and punched the lights on. "Whoa…that's radical…" the orange-banded turtle breathed. "She's _huge_!" Don couldn't agree more. Aelaki's head alone was as big as five doors standing side by side, her sinuous neck extending for forty feet. The enormous flippers by her sides were as large as their kitchen and warehouse combined. Her tail was longer than a train and her dark green body was the size of an Olympic pool!

"Holy mackerel…" Keilah whispered.

"Holy makerel indeed," Don agreed, eyes locked on the giant dinosaur. "This defies all laws of physics."

"She's said she'll take us up?"

(Aelaki says she's due for a breath of air anyway.)

"And how, pray tell, are we traveling up there?" Don asked. "She can't possibly carry us in her mouth."

"Who'd want to be?" Mikey shuddered.

Aelaki made a head bobbing motion that Don assumed meant yes. "In her _mouth_?!"

"Isn't she gonna like, swallow us?"

Again with the head bobbing; this time it was side to side. (She has a long tongue for several reasons, smart one,) Iwansi replied. As if to prove it, the plesiosaur opened her mouth slightly and let a long tongue snake out.

"Like a giraffe," Don commented with interest.

Aelaki drew it back in and rumbled. (She wants to know how much air you have left.)

Don cast a lance back at the panel where water was trickling down. The floor was now a thin puddle. "Relatively enough for us to stay alive for a while. Why?" Iwansi didn't answer. Instead, Aelaki started paddling slowly toward the sub until her snout was three feet away.

(Aelaki requests that you stop the propeller. She can't carry you if that thing's cutting her mouth.)

"Will do." Don mashed the button and the gentle hum of the engine ceased. "Now guys, haang on! WHOA!" The sub was rapidly encircled with Aelaki's black tongue. Violent rocking ensued as the dinosaur pulled them inside her cavernous mouth.

(Yeek! Slower please, or I'll fall out!) Iwansi pleaded as Aelaki's jaws closed. Darkness filled their eyes.

"Uh, Donnie? What happened to the lights?" Mikey asked.

"I'm gonna guess hit against Aelaki's gnashers and got pierced. Water short circuits lights you know." A bass moan came from directly behind them. "Yeow, that's loud!" he cried.

Somebody yawned and smacked their lips. _Hey, why is it dark all of a sudden? _Bima inquired sleepily.

"Would it console you to know we're in the mouth of a dino?" Don grunted.

_Uh, no, don't think so._

(Aelaki's not gonna eatcha, just like Basilic didn't eatcha.)

_Basilic was PUNY. This one's this size of Australia._

"Can you two please quit bickering? The only thing to do in here is sleep, and I intend to do so," Keilah snarled grumpily.

_Well, humph! _Bima snorted, curling up. _I just had a nap._

'Naps. Ain't nothing like 'em,' Saesha mumbled sleepily, nuzzling her way into Bima's side. The silver blue dragon glared at her younger sister but softened when she realized Saesha was already asleep.

_Younger siblings. Ya never see anything cuter, _she murmured, resting her head beside Saesha's. Her sapphire eyes closed and she slipped into the oblivion of rest.

Both were snoring before long. (That's not fair,) Iwansi prostested quietly. (I'm in this freezing tablet alone and they get the warmth of each other's bodies.) Nothing responded to her indignance. (Oh right, they fall asleep too!) she snorted. Aelaki smiled as only a dinosaur can and continued her ascent to the surface. (Sure, you take their side!)


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: **This is really getting old. I do not own, I repeat, **_DO NOT_ **own the TMNT or any other related to them. Got it? Good.

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**24.**

…_Yes, yes, Aelaki, I understand your concern for not being seen…I'm aware of that! But…I know, I know! Just drop us off on some remote island, okay? Can you live with that?_ Bima asked crossly. Keilah groaned and attempted to stretch, only to have it blocked midway by a snoring turtle's plastron. She opened her eyes and saw, with some dismay, that it was still dark. That meant without a doubt that they were still inside Aelaki's mouth. Another thing that caused her anxiety to peak: there was half a foot of seawater in the sub.

"Where are we?" Keilah yawned.

_Hush! _the dragon commanded somewhat grumpily.

"I'll shut up when I want to," she retorted. Bima snorted.

Aelaki moaned suddenly and opened her mouth. "What the…oh geez! It's one heck of a bright day out there!" Mikey grunted suddenly, shielding his eyes. Faint seagull calls could be heard. An abrupt jerk threw him to the water-covered floor. He sputtered something indecipherable and was on his feet in a matter of seconds, trying to force the hatch open. The plesiosaur spat the sub rather roughly onto white sand.

"Whoa!" Don yelled, tumbling out of his chair. "What in tarnation's going on around here?"

_What is tarnation anyway?_ Bima mumbled thoughtfully. _A nation of tar perhaps?_

Don rolled his eyes as he recovered from his untimely fall. "No. A nation of tar? You're a wierdo, Bima. What do you think a nation of tar would look like?"

_Snowmen? _she offered, trying to be helpful.

"In their case, they'd be tar men. And who latched this thing on us?!" he growled at the hatch, telling Mikey off. "Tatsu Morph!" Saesha stood up to her knees in seawater half a second later.

'Ugh…I've always hated salt water,' she muttered, taking a deep breath. With hissing to accompany it, the lavender dragon spat searing flames at the hatch, melting it enough so sunlight streamed in. Saesha then turned around so her hindquarters faced the front of the sub and used her hind legs to spray cold water at the steaming hole. 'There. Now get out. I've a notion that you're all squished.' She left them with a high-pitched squeal and flew out, landing on white sand.

Mikey scrambled out of the sub and onto the ground. "Hey there, Aelaki!" he called, hobbling clumsily down to the waterline. Saesha and Keilah were soon out of their temporary prison and on the sand, breathing in the salty air.

'**Wow, never thought I'd see her in the light,'** Don commented. Aelaki was being patted on the snout by Mikey, who was telling her how awesome she was.

(She says that you are foisting unnecessary affection upon her,) Iwansi stated. The plesiosaur on the beach rumbled happily. (And yet, she does not mind it either. In fact, she rather likes it.) Aelaki was closing her eyes in pleasure from the warm caress of the sun's rays and Mikey's complements. (Human hands are an entirely new thing to her.) Saesha shot the tablet an apprehensive glance and it was then that Iwansi realized her mistake. (Sorry, _almost_ human hands. Sheesh, how was I supposed to know? You guys were like, in pitch-black darkness!)

'That wasn't their fault,' Saesha consoled gently, returning to the sanctuary of Don's mind. He stretched sleepily once out in the sunlight.

(If you'd be so kind as to let me feel the sunlight too, lover boy?) Mikey gave Aelaki a goodbye and made his way toward the tablet.

"Don't bother tellin' me how to do it," he grunted, getting into a kneeling position. "Tatsu absorb!" His hands suction cupped to the stone and yellow light traveled up his arms, slowly at first, then accelerating through all his body. Sweat trickled down his beak as Iwansi took her sweet time entering his mind. With an exerted gasp, he fell backwards and lay spread eagle on the sand. "Hoo…so glad…I never…gotta do that…again," Mikey panted. Aelaki, surprisingly, raised herself up further and nudged him in the head with her muzzle.

(I think she likes you,) Iwansi said smugly. The plesiosaur clamped down upon his bandanna tails and lifted him to his feet.

Mikey rubbed his head ruefully. "No offense, but try not to help me like that again, 'kay? You got enough strength to take off my head and I kinda wanna keep it. It's the only one I have." Aelaki withdrew back into the water with an out of character chirp. "I didn't know you could do bird impressions too!" He could've sworn the dino shot him an exasperated glare. "Hey, can I scratch your belly?" Aelaki raised an eye ridge.

(She says you're nice, but she wouldn't lose her dignity over such scratching job.) While Don and Keilah giggled, Mikey sat there by the leaking sub, a mock hurt look on his face. (Aelaki also says that if you don't get up, she'll have to do it for you.) The plesiosaur's snout came dangerously close to Mikey's head and all of a sudden, the turtle was on his feet.

"Thanks, but no!"

(And before I go crazy with imprisonment, LET ME OUT!) Iwansi roared.

Mikey winced. "Alright! Out ya come! Tat**su Morph!) **Almost immediately his speech began merging into mind speech and the turtle's body disappeared. Aelaki watched with interest as Iwansi, in all her tiny yellow glory, fell out of thin air. She groaned and staggered to her feet.

(By my claw, must you terrapins be so tall?) she asked, shooting a glare at Don.

"You mean, why must you be so small?" he retorted sourly.

The yellow dragon shook her paw at him. 'And you thought I was small,' Saesha muttered all but gleefully.

Keilah got on her knees to take a look at the cat-sized dragon up close. "Wow, you _are _small."

(Same to you, wing woman.)

"And why on Earth do you have HAIR?!"

Iwansi sat on her rump and proceeded to comb the tuft of fluff proudly with her front claws. (It sets me apart from the baldies.)

Baldie?! What's that supposed to mean? 

(Simply that you lack hair, fatso. I'm not a walking dictionary.)

'Please, stop fighting!' Saesha pleaded.

(Bima's a baldie, Bima's a baldie…)

An earthquake, which would've been labeled a 4.1 on the Richter scale, shook everyone to their senses. Aelaki growled from her position in the water. **(She says we're being stupid,) **Mikey muttered. **(Hey, well I didn't partake in that, so no blame comes to me!) **Another low grating growl. Iwansi got up and waltzed over to Aelaki's large snout.

(Aw, lighten up, scale face.) The plesiosaur thumped a flipper in the water, producing a small tidal wave. (Hey! No fair!) the little dragon whined from underneath a sopping wet clump of yellow fluff.

Don decided to change the subject before something ugly happened. "So, Iwansi…your sibs all have secret abilities. What's yours?" he asked rather pointedly.

She grinned and hopped onto Aelaki's muzzle. (Wouldn't _you _like to know? Okay, now you see me--) Her yellow eyes glowed briefly (--and now ya don't!) Aelaki and Iwansi both disappeared in a split second.

"Whoa! Where'd they go?!" Keilah shouted in surprise.

(Still here, gack brains,) Iwansi informed them smugly.

"That's useful!" Don declared, marching up to where the dinosaur had been moments later. He bumped into a solid object and fell backward. "She can cloak herself and whatever living object she touches!" he explained, shaking sand off of himself.

(Precisely. You're good for something after all.) Aelaki grunted and shook Iwansi off her snout, becoming visible once more. (Humph! No respect for magic folk!) The dragon harrumphed and appeared spread eagle in the sand.

"So where are we exactly?"

Aelaki opened her mouth and produced a low groan. (Somewhere off the coast of Australia, she says,) Iwansi answered, taking flight. (You're a walking map, aren't you?) she commented. The dinosaur on the beach grinned and raised her tail only to slap it back into the water.

"INCOMING!" Don yelled, running for cover amongst the palm trees. He proceeded to shimmy up a particularly tall one, watching with wide eyes as the cataclysmic wave advanced. "Keilah, unless you wanna get soaked to the bone, I suggest you move your hindparts to the hills!" The girl turned around and saw the wave. With a shriek, she jumped up and started flying for the nearest tree. _Pardon…flying?!_ Don thought to himself. _Holy crawfish, they've gotten bigger!_ Her wingspan was now at least ten feet. _Surprised I didn't notice before! _And for some odd reason, the back of her shirt was sewn up, leaving two gigantic holes for the wings.

The wave of seawater hit with force. Don's palm tree was half submerged, his tail wrapped around the trunk for extra support, and Iwansi ended up being sucked out of midair. Keilah had gotten to high altitude before she realized where she was and plummeted into the water with a shocked yell. The wave washed back into the ocean, where Aelaki sat coughing raucously. A plesiosaur's variation of laughing, Don realized as he slid down from the tree.

(Not funny!) Iwansi sputtered from somewhere.

Keilah had latched onto Aelaki's outstretched fore flipper to prevent being washed out to sea. "I inhaled salt water!" she wheezed, wings shivering. "And I flew! Bima, did you see it?"

_Of course. I was in your mind, after all. I see through your eyes when I want to, _the silver blue dragon said dryly.

"It was scary, but cool just the same!" Aelaki moved her flipper toward shore, Keilah in tow. Once she had footing in the shallows, the girl raced onto the beach with yelps of pain.

"What's wrong?!" Don asked, running toward her. She was now kneeling on the sand, clutching her head in agony. He gently pried her hands off and gasped. "What the shell?!" Iwansi arrived a sopping mess of seaweed and hair.

(Huh?) she inquired, shaking off the fronds of ocean plant.

"She's…s-she's…g-got horns! Long white h-horns!" he stammered in surprise.

"So what now, fearless leader?" Raph growled.

Leo gave his brother an out of character malicious grin. "You've got a red tail, ears, and eyes…what say we pay April and Casey a visit?" The other turtle barked out a howl of laughter in response.

Who're they?

Raph ignored Rijinn's question. "Yeah, let's go find 'em! I've a feeling I know what they'll be watching…it's one of Casey's favorite vids! 'Demon From the Underworld'!" he guffawed, kicking a piece of wood out of his way.

Then Leo scowled as if he'd forgotten something. "Hold up…I'm missing one of my katanas." With that, he went back to the pile of crate remnants and began rummaging around with his good arm. Raph sighed impatiently and went to help.

"So, what approach we takin', Leo?" he asked, grinning. "The 'Pop-in-at-the-Window' or the 'Knock-on-the-Door-and-Disappear-only-to-be-Found-in-the-Living-Room' approach?" He threw a stick away and continued to search.

"Which do you think'd scare 'em the most?" Leo replied, moving a piece of plywood out from under Raph's prone tail.

"The second."

"Whos' knockin'?"

"You are, who else? I've gotta be ready to scare the poo outta 'em. YEOW!" he bellowed, jumped away. "Dang that sword! A pox on it!" Raph growled fiercely, sitting down to nurse his now bleeding tail end. "Shell!"

Leo picked up his katana lovingly and sheathed it. "Well, at least we found it."

"Hah! _You're_ not bleedin'!" he retorted angrily.

Wimp.

Leo rolled his eyes and knelt to take a look at the bleeding appendage. "It's only a nick."

"Nick, my foot! I'm cut to the bone!" Raph complained hotly, flicking his ears flat against his skull. Leo knew enough that on a horse, ears flat against a skull meant a seriously ticked off animal was in the vicinity.

Yeah, but he ain't no horse, Rijinn pointed out.

"Have you been listening in on all my thoughts?" Leo accused.

Hey, your mind's very interesting.

"Raph, quit bein' a baby. We'll find a Care Bear Band-Aid for you at April's."

The red garbed turtle shot him an icy glare. "You do, and you're dead, sword boy." Leo shrugged helplessly and got up. Raph was on his feet in a matter of seconds, holding his tail in a death grip. "Oh well. Blood'll add special effects to this 'Demon of the Underworld'." He grimaced and started walking away from the piers and toward the dusk-lit city.

"You know if Don were here, he'd tell you to clean that wound right away. And how long have we been at the piers?"

"My guess is two hours."

"No way! It was dawn when you found me!"

Raph shrugged and continued walking. "Somethin's fishy about this year's winter, y'know?" he murmured unusually thoughtfully. "No snow. Days are only two hours long. Ever since we met them dragons, it's been crazy." Rijinn had been stiflingly silent ever since they got on the subject of short days. It was irritating Raph how he kept vital secrets from them. "Got somethin' ya wanna say, Rij?"

Uh, no thanks. He seemed deep in thought and fear about something, Raph observed suspiciously.

"By now it should be six a.m.!" Leo whispered in disbelief.

"I'm tellin' ya, Leo, it's fishy. Somethin's just not right. Yeah, sure I know winter days are short and cold. Snow falls at this time of year, but two-hour days? Gimme a break!" he grunted, vaulting onto a closed dumpster near the first building. "Betcha this whole phenomenon's on the news. Betcha five bucks." He climbed rather clumsily onto the roof of an apartment and turned to help Leo up. "'Kay, where's Ape's antique shop? They'd prob'ly be there," he commented to no one in particular.

"On the corner of Parker and Maine," Leo replied as he jumped the first crack and onto the next building. "We should be able to cut across Laird and check the Battleshell before we go."

"Why check the Battleshell? Don's baby's got nothin' to do with our task," Raph muttered, looking across the traffic-coagulated street. "Needa find a truck ta hitch hike. Be faster."

"No, you need the exercise," Leo replied, passing his brother.

Raph turned. "Moi?"

"Yeah, you've been sitting around like a couch potato," the other teased, sprinting toward an apartment and clearing the alley below in one fell swoop.

"Couch potato?!" Raph cried indignantly, following. "I've been trompin' around Canada, swum in a lake, and fought Foot goons! I ain't been a couch potato! That's you, Mister Wounded!"

Leo grinned tauntingly. "Mister Wounded, is it? We'll see if you can defeat him in a race."

"Bring it on, Splinter Jr."

"See ya, sucker!" Leo dashed away and cut a wire with his katana, using it as a rope to get to the other side. He hopped over a billboard and slid down a stair rail to a lower building. "Wahoo!"

"Sucker, is it?" Raph called from up ahead. "Suckers take short cuts, it seems." He was already on top of April's roof. Leo smiled ruefully and admitted defeat.

"What're they watching?"

Raph lowered himself carefully to peer into the window. "Shell! They're watchin' the news!" Then a flash from the TV lit up his face for a second and Leo could see Raph grin. "Ah, but there they are! Two lovebirds!"

"Aw, just get inside, chucklehead!"

Raph knocked on the window and had the supreme satisfaction of seeing Casey jump with genuine shock. The man opened the window and stared disbelievingly at Raph's new body parts. "What happened to yah, Raph? Ya got a tail! And ears! And…oh awesome! Red eyes! Dude, ya gotta tell me the whole story!" he exclaimed. April got up and the turtle in the window had the pleasure of seeing her do a double take.

"What in the world happened to you, Raphael?!" she asked, crossing her arms. "Did you get into a fight with a lizard?"

Raph stepped inside, tugging his tail through with a grunt. "Heck no, Ape."

"And where are your brothers, may I ask?"

"Uh…not here."

Leo stuck his head through the window and was put into a headlock by April. "Whoa, leggo, April! It's me!" he cried. "Though I am happy you've been practicing your ninjitsu."

"Sorry, Leo. And what on earth happened to your arm?!"

"I'll just say I got in a fierce squabble with the wall."

"And the wall won?"

"Yup. The wall won."

Casey scratched his head. "Ya know, I had the strangest experience yesterday. I was beatin' up on some punk Purple Dragons and…" Both turtles listened intently. "Well, ya know that sewer hole you guys usually come outta? The lid just popped off and came down with a big clang!" Leo and Raph exchanged guilty glances. "Do tell," Casey muttered in response to their abnormal behavior.

"Uh, what's on the news?" Leo asked suddenly.

April resumed her spot on the couch. "The reporters are saying it's the end of the world."

"How so?"

"It's eight thirty a.m. and it's already night time."

"We kinda noticed that too."

"You know what might've caused it?"

"Nu-uh. But we're gonna ask Master Splinter if he knows something we don't," Raph replied, hopping out the window.

"We are?" Leo yelled after him. With a helpless sigh, he waved goodbye with his good arm and followed suit. "What was that all about, Raph?" he asked as soon as they were a safe distance away.

"You 'member when Sensei wanted to talk to Don and Saesha? _Alone_?"

"Uh-huh. Why?"

Raph slid down a street light pole and walked toward a manhole in the nearest alley. "He must've talked about somethin' that's gotta do with this."

"You're right; Don did look kinda pale when last we saw him," Leo confirmed as Raph wrenched off the heavy sewer lid.

"Yeah, and I distinctly remember it starting to get dark the night when we raided that Foot freighter," he remarked, letting Leo enter the sewers first. "It's weird here, Leo. And to make things creepier, it's almost a full moon."

"What? You scared of ghosts showin' up?" Leo teased as Raph stopped his descent to pull the lid shut.

"No, I'm just curious if this's got anythin' to do with the weird weather." The turtle climbed down the remaining rungs and started with Leo down the tunnels.

"Hey, while we're down here, wanna visit LH?"

"Might as well. That Donnie clone's still workin' on his temper though." Raph took a right and entered the tunnel that led to Leatherhead's home in the abandoned 1900's subway.

"Whatever you do, don't mention Bishop," Leo warned as they peered into the mutant alligator's home. "LH? You there?" A hissing sound and flashes of light erupted from the back of the room. "My guess is he's welding and can't hear us," Leo suggested, taking an apprehensive step into his lair.

"Yo LH!" Raph bellowed.

The welding stopped. "Raphael?" a bass voice inquired.

"Yeah, LH, it's me."

"Ah. I have not seen you for a long time," he sighed. "Allow me to take off my working clothes. I am not fully prepared for such a visit." Soft rustling proved he'd been wearing his favorite lab coat and a careful clatter announced that his welding mask was off. "Much better."

"Alright, Leatherhead, come out with your hands up," Raph joked as the alligator appeared out of the darkness.

"Hello, Raphael, Leonardo," he said formally, acknowledging both turtles with a slight bow. "Where are your brothers Donatello and Michelangelo?"

"Uh, not here right now," he said bluntly. "You noticed that the days are getting unusually short, LH?"

"I have," Leatherhead confirmed gravely. "It is not right. There is nothing obstructing the planetary allignment. I do not see how such a radical eclipse would darken this city without so much as a warning."

"Maybe there ain't nothin' up there," Raph suggested.

"I bet Rijinn knows," Leo muttered.

"Rijinn?" Leatherhead asked, raising an eye ridge. "He would not happen to be an Arabian djinn? I have read and pondered if they exist."

Raph guffawed. "Ancient dragon. He lives inside of me."

"Ah. That would explain your unusual changes. I was about to inquire as to why you had ears, a tail, and red eyes. I thought the eyes were a result of a contact that Donatello invented."

"Donnie? Naw, he ain't interested much in biologics." Raph crushed that theory in a heartbeat. "He's the mechanic type."

"Ask this Rijinn if he knows as to why this strange phenomenon is happening."

"Yo Rij? You sleepin' or just chicken?"

The response was curt and snippity. I don't have anything to reveal! he snapped moodily.

"Ow!" Raph grunted. "Sheesh, no need to yell. At least we know somebody's got his wings in a bunch."

"Interesting…" Leatherhead observed.

"Yup, definitely needa ask Splinter 'bout this," Raph said, grimacing and cleaning his twitching ear out.

"Might I come with you?"

"Sure, LH. By the way, what were ya workin' on back there?"

The alligator twiddled his thumbs in a form of embarrassment. "Well, I uh…Donatello mentioned to me that his Battleshell was in need of a replacement jet propulsion engine and I thought I would…"

"Ain't that sweet Leo?" Raph snickered, punching Leatherhead playfully in the arm.

The alligator's eyes glinted dangerously. "Careful, Raph," Leo cautioned. "He's still not that calm yet."

Leatherhead's eyes cleared into a sad gaze. "I am most apologetic. I cannot seem to control it yet."

"S'okay, LH," Leo comforted. "We all have our mad bouts."

"Shall we go then?"

"Nobody's stoppin' us," Raph retorted. Leo threw him a 'knock-it-off-unless-you-want-to-be-turtle-flambé' glare.

"Off to the Lair then."

Raph did something completely out of character: he burst into song to the tune of 'We're off to see the Wizard'. "We're off to see the ra-at, the wonderful rat of ninjitsu…" he sang, walking away with his hands behind his head, tail dragging. Leatherhead and Leo exchanged confused glances.

"Is he ill?" Leatherhead asked.

"I think he's dilerious," Leo replied, watching his brother in creeped out fascination.

"Yes. Dilerious."


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: **(sigh) I get diddly-squat from this fanfiction gig, so don't come after me with lawyers. I don't own the TMNT. Happy?

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**25.**

Leo and Leatherhead chuckled as they followed a now fuming Raphael. "That _wasn't_ me, guys! I didn't mean to do that! You think I actually wanted to sing a Wizard of Oz song?" he grumped as he stomped ahead.

"Oh really? What was it then?" Leo sniggered as Raph's tail nearly tripped him.

"Rijinn, who'dya think?" he snarled, kicking the offending appendage away.

"Lemme get this straight; Rijinn took control of your bodily functions and…triggered you to sing a cheesy song?"

Hey, now that you mention it… the red dragon grinned evilly.

"Oh no…" Leatherhead moaned, his eyes widening to grapefruit size.

PRRRRUMPH! "Aw, eeew, that's disgusting! Phew! What a stench!" Leo halted abruptly and stepped backward a few paces. "What did you eat last, Raph?" It smelled like a mix of burned toast, rotten eggs, and brimstone. "Shell, that's enough to kill!" He waved his hand in front of his beak to tone down the overwhelming smell.

"Rijinn, I'll get you yet…" Raph hopped into the sewer water to cut off any more that might seep out and embarrass him further.

"Good grief, that is a stink bomb to be reckoned with!" Leatherhead remarked, pinching his nostrils shut.

Raph did his best to ignore them both. "What's with yer crazy mood swings today, Rij? One minute, you're sayin' 'Don't mess wit' me, I'm a heck of a pill today.' Next thing I know, yer settin' off my gas functions in the name of humor!" Leo coughed and blew at the air to freshen it slightly.

You live in a sewer, guys! This shouldn't be anything new!

"Oh, trust me, it's bad! This puts Mikey to shame!" Leo confirmed with a sneeze. "We coulda captured that and used it as a knock out bomb on Shredder!"

"Hah! As it is, I'm surprised he can even smell anything!" Raph scoffed, rummaging in the water for his tail. "The guy don't even have room for lungs, much less any vital organs!" Once he found it, he checked to see if he felt any warnings for another attack on their noses before scrambling out and onto the concrete.

"Wonder what happens when he gets gas…"

"Sickko."

PRRRREEEUMPH! "Shell! Rijinn, you're the worst!" This time it was squeaky and long.

"Oh dear, this is going to be a long trip," Leatherhead moaned, diving underwater and swimming upstream. Leo was at a slight disadvantage: his wounded arm wasn't meant for swimming. All the poor blue turtle could do was hold his beak in disgust and keep walking.

"Y'know, maybe you should walk behind me," Leo suggested.

"No can do, Leo. He's got my legs as well," Raph grunted. His brother groaned and picked up the pace to get in front of his gas-ridden sibling.

"You're gonna have to stop once we get to the Lair, Rijinn," Leo said as another announced its entrance with a bass rumble. "I feel bad for LH. He's coming back this way after we talk with Splinter and since there's no wind, the smell's gonna linger a while."

I haven't had this much fun in a long time!

"Too bad! Quit it, or you'll never get out again!" Raph hissed.

Hey, I'm not the one letting farts left and right. Plus, the dream world doesn't smell.

"Okay, I'll let you out so you can have a whiff!" he threatened. His partner fell silent and Leo was happy to say there were no more high or low gas sounds for the rest of the trip.

"Are you insane?" Keilah hissed, clapping her hands back over the white protrusions. "How can I have horns? How can I have wings for that matter?"

"No, I'm not insane; this whole thing's insane!" Don exclaimed, running a finger over her twitching wings. "And weren't these Bima's color before? Because they're white now."

"I don't know! Nobody bothered to tell me what color they were!" Pain racked her head by the second and it felt like a bomb was going off in her skull every five seconds. "It hurts so much…" Keilah gritted her teeth.

Iwansi landed nearby, her tuft of fluff now wet and soggy. (Donatello, did you have a Blood Rage before coming here?) she asked thoughtfully.

"Uh, not to say I'm proud of it, but yeah. Why?"

(Kiyo's the only one out of all of us that can't have it. He's too calm, which is why he receives most of the ridicule from us.)

"Your point?"

(Somebody busted you out of that Blood Rage on the freighter and it wasn't Kiyo. You remember the soft mind voice that came when you fought Tiquae?)

"Yeah."

(That was Ling Pi. It's safe to say that he's been wandering around for as long as we've been locked up. Unless I'm mistaken, Ling Pi knows exactly why Keilah's going through these odd transformations. Where he is now, I can't say.)

"Hold up. You're saying that one of us will have to find him?"

(Yup. It has to be someone who already encountered him, namely Bima, Kiyo, Saesha, Rijinn, or me.)

_It's not gonna be a piece of cake to track him down, though. There are several realms that he's fond of traversing and Earth isn't the only one, _Bima finally said.

'Not to mention all the other guys out there,' Saesha mused. 'I've been out in the Dream Realms before, and it's a frightening place.'

"Is there an easier way to contact him?" Don asked, throwing concerned glances at Keilah whenever she let out a soft moan.

('Fraid not.) Iwansi was all business and no funny stuff.

"Who's going? We need to find out what's wrong with her so we can fix it!"

'All three of us,' Saesha stated simply.

"WHAT?"

**(Guys, reconsider,) **Mike pleaded. **(We can't afford losing all of you dudettes!)**

_I'm sorry, Michelangelo, but we must. We'll have a better chance._

**(Yeah! Of getting killed!)**

"Look, just shut up, all of you!" Keilah grunted. "I don't want everybody fighting over what to do!" Don could see the pain was sapping her strength.

'She can't stay conscious for much longer; I can feel it,' Saesha whispered to him.

"Sorry, Keilah, but it's nap time," Don sighed, dealing a flat blow to the base of her neck. She collapsed on the white sand with a gasp and lay still. Aelaki admonished the purple turtle severely in the form of chirps, growls, and moans."Please, Aelaki, she needs rest!"

(She says you didn't help the little one at all by knocking her out,) Iwansi translated.

"What would you have done?" Don asked, rubbing his temples.

(Good question.) The giant plesiosaur obviously took minor offense to the little dragon's rude comment and filled her mouth with cold seawater, spraying it at Iwansi.

"Guys, we can't stay here for very long. This island is a prime time tourist attraction and a giant plesiosaur, two mutant turtles, and two dragons are gonna be another factor. We need to book." Even thought the crescent moon was at its peak, daylight was something they wished to avoid at all costs.

'I am still too weary to teleport anywhere.'

**(We could ride Aelaki,) **Mike suggested.

(There's no way I'd stoop to that level,) Iwansi snorted, shaking herself vigorously.

**(You're not going to ride her; I am.)**

'He's got a point; you can't stay physical and go to the Dream Realms at the same time,' Saesha pointed out. Iwansi harrumphed and grunted out the necessary words to return Mike to the physical world.

"Woohoo! Free at last!" he cheered, limping toward Aelaki. She shot him a look of disapproval but softened once the caressing started.

Don heaved Keilah's prone form into his arms. "These wings are terrible!" he declared. "I can't see where I'm going!" He grunted. "And she sure didn't look this heavy!"

"Quit bein' such a wimp, Donnie." Mikey clambered onto Aelaki's muzzle with a few apologetic words. "Sorry, girl, but it's the only way to get up…whoa!" The plesiosaur obviously hadn't liked having a humanoid turtle between her eyes and raised her head. She deposited him roughly on her wide back and huffed at him. "Sheesh, talk about touchy!" Don was next, only his departure from shore was slightly gentler. Aelaki allowed the purple turtle to slide off before wriggling off the shore and into deeper water.

Don laid Keilah on Aelaki's spine and sighed heavily. "I truly wish I didn't have to knock her out."

Mikey was on his shell, hands behind his head in a relaxed gesture. "Hey, couldn't be helped, bro. She was goin' hysterical on us."

The other turtle took a wistful look at the moon. "She was anything but hysterical. How would you like it if a pair of horns and wings suddenly popped out of you one day?" Only seconds afterward, he grinned inwardly to himself, knowing the impending doom that question held for Mikey. In very little time, Michelangelo would possess a lovely yellow tail coming out his posterior.

Aelaki rumbled comfortingly and submerged her flippers all the way. Her tail was soon out of sight and only her back remained above water. To any possible onlookers, the two turtles were riding on an island.

"Sure is quiet tonight," Mikey said after a while, sitting up. "And you know what? Aelaki's back is pretty hard. My butt's sore already." Then he saw Don smirking at him. "What? Seagull poop on my head or something?" Just to make sure, he felt around the top of his domed skull. No pasty white stuff. So why was his brother grinning from ear to ear? "Dude, you're starting to majorly creep me out. Quit starin'! There's nothing…" Now the throb on his rear end began to sting slightly. He saw Don's tail move around and his ears prick forward, as if anticipating something.

"Mike, I want you to turn around for me." Clueless and completely baffled, he did as he was told. Then Don burst out laughing as Mikey's eyes widened in surprise. Attached to his rump was a twitching yellow tail. But to Don's disappointment, he did exactly the opposite of what he hoped for. He smiled like a kid who just got the Christmas present of his dreams.

"Awesomely radical! You see this? I have a tail! A TAIL!" He grabbed it in one hand and squeezed. "It can feel, too." Don rolled his eyes, checking to see if his outburst had disturbed Keilah at all. Nope. Sleepin' like a rock.

_Hey, Donatello! Earth to Donatello! _Bima yelled. Don put a finger to his ear and winced. _We're going to go and find Ling Pi now. You guys sit tight and whatever you do, DON'T MOVE from Aelaki's back. If we're to return to our respective carriers, we have to know where you are, 'kay? Michelangelo, are you even listening to me?_ The elated turtle with a new tail was completely out of his mind with glee.

"Don't bother. You can't get through to him when he's that excited," Don yawned.

'Alright. You'll feel a yank in your head and it'll hurt for a while, but that's when you'll know we're gone, okay?' Saesha asked.

"Good luck guys and use your brains!"

_Guess that leaves Iwansi out._

(Hey!)

'Aelaki, take them somehwere remote and safe,' Saesha instructed the plesiosaur. She rumbled a confirmation from underwater. 'By the way, Don, Aelaki says she needs to feed once she drops you guys off. She'll tell us where you are before leaving. And Aelaki, you'd better not leave them somewhere with no food or water.' The plesiosaur raised her head from the water and chirped indignantly. 'No, I wasn't insulting you, but it's not like I want them to starve or die of thirst either.'

_Enough procrastinating! We're off! _For a five-second interval, nothing happened. Then Don felt a hard pull on his mind as Saesha separated from him and went into spirit form. Iwansi and Bima weren't far behind.

'Farewell, Donatello,' Saesha whispered. Don felt a soft brush against his cheek and decided she either A. must've kissed him or B. must've licked him.

"So that's it. They're gone," he muttered forlornly, reclining.


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: **Although I loathe admitting it, I don't own the TMNT. Nuts.

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**26.**

_(Oh where, oh where can that little Pi be? Oh where, oh where can he beee?) _Iwansi sang out of pure boredom_. (With his beard cut short and his—) _She thought for a moment before releasing the next part in tone-deaf glory_. (—kimono in a wedge, oh where, oh where can he be?) _The yellow dragon was undeterred by the stifling silence of the Dream Realm of Earth and burst into song once more._ (He'll be comin' 'round the trees when he comes! He'll be comin' 'round the trees when he comes—)_

Bima knocked her sister upside the head with her tail. _Knock it off, you broken record with wings! My ears are throbbing from listening to you!_ she grunted.

Saesha looked around the animated landscape of trees, bushes, and waving prairie grass warily. _'Shut up anyway. There are certain people around here whose attention I'd rather not attract,' _she murmured, throwing suspicious glances at every form of plant possible.

_(There's something worse?) _Iwansi asked, slightly annoyed.

'_Yep.'_

_(I hate the way you answer so bluntly.)_

'_Hey, you were singing out of tune a moment ago so don't tell me what's bad and what isn't,' _Saesha defended._ 'My eardrums nearly burst from that horrendous rendition.'_ She failed to notice the fir tree in front of her and ran smack dab into it, giving a surprised "woo.

_Chicken, _Bima muttered scornfully, dodging a chirruping sparrow with a squeak of surprise. _You watch it, or fried songbird's on my dinner menu, _she growled, swatting at the bird with a forepaw.

_(Now who's chicken?) _Iwansi asked smugly. Bima shot her a glare.

'_Be nice, Bima,' _Saesha whispered carefully, letting the indignant sparrow land on one of her short white horns. _'It's true I haven't been here for a little more than a millennium, but if I remember correctly—'_

"_Yeah, youngster, where's yore respect?" _the bird squawked suddenly, staring icily at Bima. He had a birdy, tenor sort of voice that was pleasant to the ears.

'_the birds – in fact, all the animals here – have the gift of speech in more than one language,' _she finished rather deflatedly at being beaten to the end of the explanation.

Iwansi jumped and gave a squeak, vanishing under her cloaking magic in a hurry. _"What're yew scared of, dragon? Yer not the only one here who can speak yer language," _the sparrow chuckled, preening his wing in smug satisfaction. _"Matter of fact, weren't yew dragons talkin' 'bout bein' scared chickens? Well, that one takes the cake," _he commented, guffawing slightly.

_(I'm not a chicken, you just startled me is all!) _Iwansi reappeared shakily, throwing apprehensive glances at the laughing songbird.

'_Let's get to the point,' _Saesha started. _'We need to find an oriental man who goes by the name of Ling Pi. You heard of him?'_

"_Ah, so yer that lot. Where're the other two?"_

_None of your bee's wax, _Bima snarled. Almost immediately, something went "splat" on the top of the silver-blue dragon's head and Iwansi burst out into hearty laughter.

"_Watch yer language, dragon, unless you want more glue to go with that frosting," _the sparrow rebuked sternly, fluffing his chest feathers up until he was equivalent to the size of an apple. _"I may be a bird, but I have sufficient punishment for disrespectful lizards such as yerself." _Bima puffed gray smoke out distended nostrils and turned an interesting shade of white.

'_That's the color she gets when she's been humiliated,' _Saesha whispered to the sparrow. Her waste decorated sister felt the irrepressible urge to tent herself in the safety of her large wings.

_That wasn't fair, _she whimpered, wiping the poop off her head. _Are there any streams around here?_

"_To yer left. Go a few paces and yew should find one," _the sparrow replied cheerily. Bima's ears drooped and she padded into the trees, muttering darkly. _"'Scuse me fer a moment." _Yet another splat, a shriek, and the sparrow was back on Saesha's horn. _"That 'un's a real trouble maker, lassies. Keep an eye out fer her. Too many mountain cats an' jaguars fer my comfert here," _he remarked, spreading his wings for take off.

_(Wait a minute, you tiny dumpster!) _Iwansi shouted. _(You still haven't told us where to find Ling Pi!)_

He sighed. _"Alright, overgrown salamander, I'll tell ya. He's usually found 'round the Seventh Dimension of Null Time. Lord Simultaneous has long chats with him."_

'_Hold it. How can a living man see a…a y'know man?' _Saesha asked.

"_Hello! Yer brain must not be workin' t'day," _he grunted haughtily, furling his wings again._ "Lord Simultaneous is the lord of time. It don't matter if the person's deceased; he's got a real private orb he likes to look into when Renet ain't around t' bug him." _The sparrow cheeped and snapped at a curious fly, which was hovering near Saesha's ear before continuing._ "Ling Pi offers advice whenever Lord Sim needs consolation or just plain needs somebody t' talk to. Now if ye'll 'scuse me, that caterpillar over there looks mighty tasty."_ Iwansi snatched him by his foot when he hopped off Saesha's horn.

_(Again I pose the question: how do we get to the Seventh Dimension of Null Time?) _she said, playing the part of a rather small interrogator.

He pecked her paw and she let go with a yelp. _"Whaddya want, a tour guide? There're portals everywhere leadin' to dimensions! You just gotta find the one with the right crest on the doorframe!" _he snarled. It was easy to see that he was growing tired of the questions.

'_Will you at least get us to the portal?' _Saesha asked politely.

The sparrow landed lightly on her muzzle. _"I'll do it fer you, lass, because yer the only one who hasn't insulted me yet." _Saesha blushed furiously._ "By the Time Scepter, I'll even stay with yer the entire trip if it pleases your soul, so long as them two stay quiet." _

_Thank you for that diplomatic decision that took almost fifteen minutes of our precious time, _Bima said rudely, walking out of the trees with a scowl. The sparrow eyed her and flapped off his current perch to hover in front of her eyes.

"_Yew, Madame Paste, shall stay silent fer the rest of this trip," _he hissed icily. A light brown aura floated from his chest feathers and into Bima's throat. To Saesha and Iwansi's complete satisfaction, their elder sister was unable to say a word when she opened her mouth to release some snide remark. _"I do believe that we shall have peace fer the remainder of this happy expedition," _he huffed, returning to Saesha, this time to perch on her back. Bima glared venomously at him and sat down, smoke streaming out of her nostrils.

_(That means she's really mad,) _Iwansi told the sparrow with a smirk.

"She c'n stay mad fer all I care," he replied, eyes flashing. "Now, that caterpillar has surely gotten away from me now. 'Scuse me while I find my breakfast." With that, he leaped and burst into frenzied flapping, disappearing into the vegetation in the blink of an eye. 

_(Very conversational, that one,) _Iwansi muttered, flopping down on her stomach. Her tuft of fluff drifted into her eyes and she blew it away. _(So what now, we just wait for him to come back?) _She glanced over at Bima and saw her pick up a stick and crack it in two. _(Either that or we watch dear sister here vent her anger on branches.) _The cat-sized dragon yawned and proceeded to stare in boredom at the waving plain of grass not two hundred feet away.

It really was quite beautiful, she realized with a sigh. Endless golden grass that swayed gently in the wind was accompanied by several prairie dogs popping out of holes in the ground and chirping a cheery hello to her. They would then busy themselves with stuffing their cheeks with grains from the grasses and go back down their burrow. Whenever one would emerge, their tawny coat of fur caught the warm sunlight coming down from a soft blue sky. She could've sworn there were a few buffalo grazing out in the distance.

Then a prairie dog that had just recently popped up went rigid with fear and dove back into his burrow. That's weird, she thought to herself. Iwansi was startled out of her silent reverie by an out of character roar from Saesha. Purple flame erupted from the lavender dragon's jaws to hit an empty tree. It burned and crackled as Saesha shot more flames in random directions. _(What are you doing?) _Iwansi cried, scrambling to her feet.

'_There are basilisks here!' _she hissed, backing up until she was standing rump-to-rump with Iwansi. _'By the claw, I'm a fool! I'd completely forgotten!'_

_(Basilisk? What are they?)_

'_Don't you dare look one in the eye! Direct eye contact will kill you!'_

_(That helps me how?)_

'_He was in the tree just a moment ago! We have to get out of here before it finds Bima!'_

_(Why? Where'd she go?) _Iwansi asked, only now noticing the absence of her sister. Saesha galloped away, replying urgently that she'd went to the stream. Iwansi stayed put. If the basilisk couldn't see her, it couldn't kill her. Grimly, she tapped into her dragon magic and vanished from sight. She regulated her breathing. Just because she was invisible didn't mean that she couldn't be heard.

Stealthily, she crept into the forest, avoiding all possible things that would give her position away if stepped on. How would she know where the basilisk was? Of course. Ears are made for hearing. She halted and climbed up a tree by using her claws as anchors. Settling into the crook of a branch, she focused her hearing and closed her eyes.

Rustling nearby. She determined that it was a doe, which had not sensed the basilisk's approach yet. Iwansi licked her chops. Fresh meat did sound good at the moment…no! She was listening for the basilisk and the basilisk she was determined to find. She delved deeper in a meditative state. A crow nearby cawed its defiance to the warning about the deadly reptile stalking in the woods. A pair of mating frogs in a pond. Iwansi shuddered. She'd no interest in _that._ The tiny dragon pulled her wings closer to her body. An unearthly chill had settled over the forest. Everything was unnaturally quiet. It gave her the willies to think that such a terrible being could be around here in this wonderful place. Then again, Saesha did say there were certain people whose attention you didn't want to attract. She was absolutely right. Iwansi found herself longing to find out if her slightly gloomy counterpart had found Bima, who was mute for the moment.

_CRACK. _Iwansi stiffened as a twig no more than twenty feet from her tree snapped. She'd fry that basilisk if it was the last thing she did. If it even dared to rear its ugly head, sizzling would occur, she thought with a nervous mental chuckle. She could picture its blackened head and seared-shut eyelids. What a pleasure it would be to just claw those deadly yellow eyes out. Then she remembered that she also had yellow eyes. But mine aren't meant to kill, she defended. The dark part of her mind was urging her to burst from cover while her lighter side pleaded that she wait. Wait for the opportune moment.

_CRUNCH. _It was getting louder, Iwansi realized with a shiver. She looked around the small glade she was in and froze in terror. Not ten feet away was the ugliest creature she'd ever seen in her life. It had six limbs, four of which were hind legs. Spots coated the sickly green dorsal ridge that flopped along its back. The tail was longer than Saesha, who was at least six feet long, counting her neck and tail. In comparison, Rijinn was eleven feet in length, while Bima was fifteen. The basilisk dwarfed Iwansi herself, her coming in at three feet. The head was as large as a ripe watermelon. All in all, the basilisk was thirteen feet.

The last to catch her attention were those eyes. Iwansi trembled as she felt the petrifying stare pass by her. They were a bright yellow color, like daffodils. Finally, she snapped. She jumped out of the tree, flapping furiously, and shot toward the basilisk, only spitting searing orange-yellow flame when she was four feet from its face. It hissed and swatted at her only to miss. As far as Iwansi could see, it was unharmed. _Jhadie_! _That _surprised her. It sounded like a foreign curse word that just sprang into her mind.

She was suddenly slapped out of midair and lost her control over the cloaking magic, appearing visible in a flash. _Don't look at its eyes, don't look at its eyes, don't look…_she chanted, squeezing her own shut. Iwansi had landed in tall grass, but that didn't mean the basilisk couldn't find her with its sense of smell. She pricked her ears forward to catch the sickly rustling of its scales and spat a gout of fire at the location. A high-pitched scream told her it had been a correct shot. She dared to open her eyes for a quick second and found she'd only succeeded in blackening its chest. She shut them again and regained her footing, launching into the air. If bats could locate by hearing, so could she.

Iwansi dive bombed the basilisk, clawing for its eyes. The squeal of claw against scale told her she'd missed. Quickly rising out of range, she listened for its clumsy movements. One thing she was thankful for: tall grass lots of noise when walked through. Again she swooped and stabbed furiously with her razor sharp claws. A fleshy ripping sound accompanied by a hiss of pain told her she'd hit the dorsal ridge. She pulled away for another attack. If she could just keep this up and stay out of its range—agony racked her hind legs as she was snatched from the air by merciless paws in an iron grip. She writhed and cried out as the claws dug into her rump and sides. She felt red blood coursing down her sides.

_(Jhadie! Let me go! JHADIE!) _she yelled lividly, scratching weakly at it. _(I don't care if it's a word I don't understand, JHADIE!) _The grip increased in pressure until she felt her ribs beginning to crack. _(No…I can't die now! I've only spent near twenty minutes being with Michelangelo! I refuse!) _A hidden reserve of strength lent her power. She belched flames at where she believed the basilisk's head to be and had the grim satisfaction of hearing a scream from the horrid reptile. Still, it didn't let go and increased its grip. Iwansi felt her right hind leg snap and screamed. _(Somebody help me…it's the end…) _Weariness and agony ripped through her limp and shattered body as blackness began to claim her mind. The enticing thick fog welcomed her with open arms.

Just as she lost consciousness, she heard a loud crack, a feminine yell, and all went black.

It had been twenty minutes since Iwansi, Saesha, and Bima had left. Don found his worry mounting with every moment despite the reassurance from Mikey. Aelaki hadn't said a word since they'd left the remote island and Keilah was still out cold on the plesiosaur's back. Would she ever wake up? He doubted it. Her heavy breathing attested to the fact that she was a very tired little fifteen year-old.

"Hey, coolio! Look Donnie, I can move my tail without hands!" Mikey cried in wonder. True. His three foot-long tail was moving back and forth without assistance.

"That's nice," Don said absently, staring out across the moonlit sea. The waves were crested white with moonlight and Don could've sworn once he saw a pod of dolphins swimming. Aelaki, however, took no notice and continued her leisurely swim. An almighty rumble came from the dinosaur's stomach and she grumbled an apology. "Mike, I think Aelaki's hungry. Old girl, do you think you'd be able to find us an—whoa!" he tumbled forward as Aelaki halted abruptly and raised her head from the water.

The purple garbed turtle looked around to find the reason for such a sudden stop. Nothing he could see. So why—a mournful peal erupted from the dinosaur's mouth, deafening Don and his brother. He clapped his hands over his ears and winced.

"Aelaki, could you be quiet?" Mikey asked softly. Aelaki did it again, this time lower and sadder.

"Could it have something to do with the dragons?" Don whispered to Mike.

His eyes widened. "You don't think they're—"

"I don't want to, but it's a possibility." Aelaki turned her head to face them. "Aw shell, look at her. Something's really bugging her. What is it girl?" He stood and walked to her lowered head slowly. "What's the matter?" The plesiosaur blinked and moaned softly.

"Maybe she's hungry?"

"No way, Mikey. Animals never get so emotional over a meal."

"I told them not to!" Mikey yelled in frustration, slamming his fist on Aelaki's back. "I told them not to!" Tears sprang to his eyes.

"We don't know if they're dead, Mike, so don't jump to conclusions." The younger turtle sniffed and nodded an affirmative. "Can you get us on land, Aelaki?" She shook her head. "You're no longer hungry?" Another shake.

"Well I am!" Mikey declared, trying his best to lighten the mood.

"Hold on, there's an island over there," Don said, pointing to the left.

It was craggy and full of cliffs. Waves smashed up against the rocks with brutal force. "Uh, Don? That doesn't look so good." Keilah groaned and Don rushed to her side, uttering a gasp.

"Holy shell…" he muttered, eyes widening.

Keilah shifted again, this time regaining full consciousness. "Don, I hate you forever," she moaned, sitting up and rubbing the back of her neck. "And why are my legs so cold?"

"I'm not sure those are your legs." Keilah glanced down at her lower body half and gasped. Her jeans had split from an extreme transformation of her legs, as had her shoes. They were no longer human. Her five toes were now three and they were clawed; her legs were scaly, they were white, and they were the hind legs of a dragon.

Splinter sipped his steaming tea suspiciously. His sons had come in a rather hustled hurry and with a guest no less. "My sons, I repeat my previous answer: Saesha wished that it not be known to anyone else but myself. Therefore, I shall remain silent," he said sternly.

Raphael was on his feet. "Sensei, we hafta know! Two-hour days aren't what we in New York call legit!" he growled.

"Master, it is a rather urgent matter," Leo agreed hesitantly. The mutant rat eyed them for a moment.

"No."

Raph groaned in frustration and sighed, plopping next to Leatherhead in a kneeling position.

Look, guys, I've got a confession to make… 

Raph perked his ears up. "Spit it out, we're listenin'."

You, Raphael, have a flame emblem on your shell.

"THAT'S IT?" he bellowed, twisting to see a ball of flame encircled by an oval on his carapace. "Look, I don't care about a flippin' emblem, I want _answers_ and shell, I'll get 'em!" He finished with a pound of his fist on the floor.

December thirty-first is coming up in seven days.

"Yer point?"

Splinter stiffened as a far away mental agony ripped through his mind. "My sons, something has happened to Iwansi."


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the TMNT. My sad stories should testify to that. Only a fan that doesn't own the TMNT would write fanfiction. Get it? FAN?

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**27.**

"…Yes, her leg's compromised…look, I'm sorry, Renet, but we may have to take it off…I'm aware that this is a dragon we're trying to save, but not everything can work out for the best…"

"No, I like, refuse to let you!"

"Renet, if we don't take it off, she'll die from blood loss. The multiple gouges on her sides are very deep and it's quite a miracle enough that she survived a battle with that basilisk for five minutes."

"…but why?"

A sigh. "I already told you that if we don't take it off, she'll die. And if she doesn't, she may never walk again." Iwansi recovered consciousness to soft whispering voices above her broken body. One was male and the other was female. The dragon guessed Renet was the woman. The other one she couldn't put a name on.

One thing Iwansi did not find exciting was the fact that they were debating over her shattered right leg. To take or not to take…that was the question. She attempted to move her left foreleg from an uncomfortable position of being above her head and was stopped by a callused warm hand.

"You're disturbing her rest, Renet. I'm afraid you'll have to wait outside the Healing House until I'm done with fixing the little one up," the man murmured. The hand was removed from her paw and Iwansi heard the man say "Begone and get some sleep. It was a very brave thing you did to attack a basilisk. You needn't exhaust yourself anymore." As light footsteps receded, he called softly, "Oh, and you may want to bathe yourself, Renet. The little dragon's spilt blood on you."

"…Like, I will, Iwojik, I will," she sighed, shutting the door.

"Now then, little one," Iwojik whispered, placing his hand under her back. "I need you to open your eyes for a second so I may check to see if you're vision has been compromised. That's it," he cooed as she gritted her teeth and squinted into a bulb. "I'm terribly sorry," he apologized, gently laying her down again. He turned the light away from her and propped Iwansi up again. "Now, let's see those beautiful eyes." After looking at them for a while, he made several 'hmming' noises and placed her on her back once more. Iwojik turned around and rummaged through a drawer for surgical supplies.

The healing room was rather bland, Iwansi commented to herself. White walls, a window curtained with white drapes, and things she didn't have interest in at the moment: needles, gauze, knives, scalpels, surgical tape, and an object that made her feel faint, the bone saw.

"You're a fighter, little girl," Iwojik remarked, turning back around and pulling a tray out of the table she was on. He placed several tools on it and stared at her critically. "Yes, you're a fighter. I'll have you know you removed that basilisk's claw simply by him embedding it in your side." He held up the curved black thing and Iwansi shuddered involuntarily. "When you go back to wherever you came from, you can show all the boy dragons how brave you are," he teased, waving it in front of her snout.

(I can talk, you know, mister thinks-everybody's-a-baby man,) she said dryly. He pulled back.

"Touchy. Lord Simultaneous, of course, knew you could talk the moment he set eyes on you. Come to think of it, you don't talk with your jaw, so I'll just take that off…" He reached for a big knife on the wall.

Smoke started streaming from her nostrils. (Yeah, you do, and you're fried meat, smartie.)

He laughed. "I declare, for an amputation patient, you're certainly snippety." Iwojik was a stout little man with a deep voice and a healthy belly laugh. Come to think of it, his gut was pretty healthy, but not fat. His slightly round face had a mop of silver hair upon it, accented by those twinkling gray eyes.

(I wonder why. It might have to do with the fact that you're taking my right leg off. I'll be the laughing stock of my siblings.)

"There are more of you?"

(Not my size, but yeah. My sibs are all bigger than me.) Iwansi made a face.

He patted her head of fluff. "There there. Where are they now?"

(Well, Saesha went out looking for Bima right after she told me a basilisk was roaming the forest. Fried some trees she did. I ran off to find that uncouth reptile and got my wish. Did somebody give that seriously uncool guy a few lumps for me?)

"Why, yes, as a matter of fact, Renet conked it on the head with the Time Scepter." Iwojik grinned. "Mind you, she got seven more weeks of dusting for stealing it again, but she claims she saw you being squeezed in the Orb of Hindsight and had to save you." He held up a clear mask with tubes connected to it. "Sorry, little one, but I'll have to put you out for this one. Anesthesia is the only was you won't feel pain."

(Yeah, now,) she quipped.

He carefully positioned her forelegs by her sides. "That better?"

(Now I don't feel exposed, so thanks a bunch. Oh, and before I forget, what're those devices on the ceiling for?)

"They're supposed to tell me the status of my patient. You know, stuff like blood pressure, heart rate, that sort of thing." He placed the mask on her face and it started pumping the sweet-smelling gas into her lungs. "Now, count backward to ten for me." Iwansi only got to five.

"Ow, this hurts like the dickens!" Keilah moaned, attempting to stand for the third time.

"Take it nice and slow, girl, we're here right beside you," Mikey encouraged, favoring his broken leg. Keilah's dragon legs were not cooperating with the girl's senses and refused to work as the body part they resembled. Her jeans were now shorts, ragged up to the mid thigh. Mikey had, by some stroke of luck, a penknife in his belt and cut the ripped jeans so Keilah could be slightly more comfortable. Aelaki had stopped moaning in sorrow a while ago and moved away from the craggy island Don had been considering, so the turtles and human could only assume that whatever she was sad about got fixed.

"Aelaki, are you anywhere near an island yet? The moon's going," Don informed the plesiosaur. She nodded, the increased size of waves caused by her flippers attesting to the fact that she'd picked up the pace.

Keilah had ingeniously started using her wings as buffers for balance. Every time she'd nearly topple, she'd have them flapping and flight would set her safely on Aelaki's back once more. "I think I'm getting the hang of standing with these…_things_," she muttered to Mikey, who stood by with a look of brotherly concern on his face. The dragon legs were constructed strangely like a horse's hind legs. The thigh, however, was much larger and looked like it was to be used only for walking on two legs. From the hock down, it was lightly muscled and the clawed toes added to the oddness of it all.

"I hope the girls get back soon," Mike murmured, glancing at the setting moon. "I'd really like to know what the shell's happening to you, Keilah!"

"Me too." She finally got to the point where she could stand on her feet without the use of her wings.

"Land ho! Guys, Aelaki's found a different island!" Don shouted from atop Aelaki's head.

"How'd he get up there?" Mikey asked Keilah. She responded with a shrug and took flight, shooting up to Don's level. "Humph. That's not fair," he grumped, watching her shaky landing on the top of the plesiosaur's head. "She has wings. Why couldn't we turtles get flippin' wings?" He thought he heard a quiet chuckle and whirled around but heard no one. "Huh. Strange. Must've been that Ling Pi guy Saesha was talkin' about."

He fell forward as Aelaki made another abrupt stop. "Shell, don't these dinos come with blinkers and brake lights?" he grumbled picking himself up again. He wrapped his tail around his leg and shivered.

"Mike, there's an island directly ahead of us," Don yelled from the height of Aelaki's head. "Looks hospitable enough. I even see palm trees and where there are palm trees, there are usually coconuts."

Keilah spread her wings. "I'll scout it out," and before Don could protest, she was in the air once more, rocketing toward the serene isle at an incomprehensible speed.

"Come back here, you cross-bred lizard!" Don bellowed after her, but she was already gone. "I certainly hope she knows what she's doing," he sighed, sitting down and patting Aelaki's large head.

Keilah banked hard to the right to dodge a palm tree and entered a small grove of trees. Hovering, she detected nothing out of the ordinary for the moment. Something in her peripheral vision caught her attention. Ah. Nothing but a burbling spring nestled amongst several rocks. Warily looking around, she landed on still-sore claws and walked clumsily to the pool where the water stayed until it was forced by current to jump a small waterfall.

Gratefully, the girl cupped her hands and filled them with water, sipping to quench her thirst. She hadn't drunk in about fifteen hours, so it was a wonder she had collapsed from dehydration. That hits the spot, she thought blissfully, now turning to fully survey her surroundings.

The palm trees had gradually switched to young pines that encircled the sleepy clearing. The spring gradually changed to a small stream that would later feed the ocean its water. Green grass swayed gently in a breeze that played with the trees' branches, causing a soft rustling in the needles. Keilah was just about to take flight again and alert Don that the island was a success when something leapt at her from her right.

With a surprised squeak, she tumbled out of the way of a living cannon ball with teeth and claws. She recovered her footing to find it had disappeared. "What in the name of Yulakai just happened?" she asked, scratching her head. Hold it, what'd she just say? Yulakai? That's a strange word indeed.

"KILL!" something hissed behind her and she had only enough time to launch into the air to dodge the guerilla attack.

"I'll kill you if you don't quit being such a creep!" she threatened. But I don't even know what I'm threatening, she realized with a grim chuckle. Something appeared with a flash in her right hand. "What the…" It felt woody. She held it up and was shocked to find she was holding a bow. Then she felt a quiver of arrows pressing against the space between her wings. "How'd this get here—Oh gosh!"

She did a barrel roll to avoid an aerial attack and found herself facing a black griffin. Now, we all know griffins aren't native to Earth. This guy was no exception. He was about four feet tall at the shoulder, his tail three. His eyes were empty. Soulless, Keilah saw with a shudder. With an unearthly shriek, it charged.

Keilah, trembling, drew an arrow, nocked it, and fired. "Jhadie, I missed!" she cursed, dodging another dive bomb from the enraged griffin. She drew three arrows this time and released when the string was well past her ear. With hollow thunks, they all found their way into the griffin's black chest. Trilling loudly, it attempted to remove the arrows by clawing them out. Seconds later, the griffin was dead, flattening the grass and polluting the pleasantness of the glade with its blood. Shakily, Keilah shot back to Aelaki's raised head, bow in hand.

Iwansi was having a wonderful dream. In it, she had clawed the basilisk's eyes out, ripped its ugly flopping crest, and cut its limbs to the bone. She was in the middle of laughing maniacally when something called to her from a distance.

"Little one, wake up. You're done and there is some one who would like to see you."

(I'm in the middle of mutilating a hated enemy. Can't it wait?) she asked sleepily. Somebody giggled.

"No, dear heart, you must wake!" _SNAP!_

(ARGH!) Iwansi jerked awake, huffing like a wild animal. In her vision, she made out two things: Iwojik laughing his head off, and a teen in the corner of the room giggling uproariously. Apparently Iwojik had snapped his fingers in front of Iwansi's face. (You cruel man,) she muttered, giving a mock growl of annoyance.

"Cruel? Me? Young lady, I just saved your life." The man, now dressed in a green tunic and white pants, pointed to her right leg – or what was left of it. All that Iwansi could see was a small, bloody, bandaged bump. "Sorry, I had to take it off at the socket."

(Saved my life? You just _handicapped _me!)

Iwojik shrugged. "It was either your life or your leg."

Iwansi grumbled. "You're pretty cute when you're like, awake," Renet commented.

(And you're dressed pretty strangely when I can see you.) True; the girl was pretty much covered head and foot with clocks. On her head was the oddest helmet; it had an hourglass thing on each side, tipped with a point.

"Oh, you're like, real nice." Renet made a pouting face. Iwansi attempted to throw her white bed sheets off but Iwojik stayed her paw.

"No you don't. You aren't leaving this room until I say fit. And right now, with cracked ribs and a bump of a leg, walking wouldn't be too good."

"Can I, like, take her around?" Renet asked, standing up. "Y'know, like, carry her."

Iwojik shot Iwansi an apprehensive glance. "Renet, until her ribs heal, I cannot let you."

"Aw…"

"Alright, out of my way, OUT OF MY WAY!" somebody ordered from behind Iwojik.

"Oh, sorry, Lord Simultaneous. What—"

"That'll be enough out of _you_, Renet. _You're _supposed to be dusting!" A little man with an apparent attitude pushed Iwojik to the side, growling.

(And I thought Renet was dressed strangely,) Iwansi muttered rudely. The man was wearing a hat nearly the size of his body and a blue and white robe that fully covered his feet.

Lord Sim glared at her. "You may be a dragon, a legendary creature, but _be quiet_, disrespectful imp!"

(Gosh, I bet if Mikey were here, he'd tell you that you have a serious attitude adjustment to make, puny guy,) she retorted.

"Mikey? As in like, Michelangelo?" Renet rushed to the side of the bed in a heartbeat. "If you're like, talking about those little green bald guys, I know them!"

(How so?)

Renet backed away, flushing furiously. "Ah, well, like, it's not something I'm proud of, but the last time I stole the Time Scepter, I warped to their time and landed on them. If I, like, remember correctly, they were named Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael."

(Fun,) Iwansi muttered sleepily, yawning.

"Shoo, she's tired," Iwojik scolded the two arguing people. He hurried them out of the room, Lord Simultaneous protesting the loudest. Iwojik shut the door after himself, whispering a curt "Good night." as Iwansi drifted off into oblivion.

'_Iwansi! IWANSI! Where are you?' _Saesha yelled. _'Find anything?' _she asked the returning sparrow and Bima. The sparrow gave a negative shake with his head, but Bima was nodding furiously. _'Show me, Bima!'_

The older dragon galloped north into the trees, stopping every once and a while to let the others catch up. When she finally stopped for good, it was in front of a small glade.

Saesha's eyes went wide. _'Is that basilisk…dead?' _

"_Certainly looks like it," _the sparrow confirmed. Saesha walked warily up to the limp body and flamed it with purple fire. No reaction. It really was dead.

'_What killed it?' _

_The sparrow flew to Saesha's horn and commented, _"These claw marks…it's quite evident that yer sister fought it. But there ain't any claw gouges by the throat, so—" 

'_Wait, look at this!' _The lavender dragon pointed at an indent in the domed head of the dead basilisk. _'Its skull was bashed in!'_

"_By what?"_

'_I don't know but it certainly wasn't Iwansi.' _Saesha began sniffing around and stopped, feeling her stomach sink. There was blood on the grass. Iwansi's blood. _'I think I'm gonna be sick,' _she moaned, staggering away.


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: **I DO NOT OWN THE TMNT. THAT IS FINAL.

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**29.**

Splinter relaxed and opened his eyes. After about thirty minutes of kneeling on the hard floor of the dusty Lair, he finally relaxed his tensed muscles. The only option Raph, Leo, and Leatherhead had at that time when Splinter had sent his mind out to probe was sit there and watch the ninjitsu master mutant rat sweat. During that meditative state, Raph had muttered some snide comments about the rat and was elbowed roughly in the ribs by Leo, who glared icily at him. The rebellious turtle had grumbled and started pacing. After a while, Rijinn had started a rather colorful game, a game that required only finding a word that described the Shredder. The red dragon had started at the letter "A" and from then on, it had gone downhill.

Finally ending the competition at "C", Leo yanked Raph's tail reprovingly, scolding him for use of such profanities. The turtle in the red bandanna stifled a bellow and blinked tears back while Rijinn laughed uproariously.

Now, the rat eyed each of the turtles and alligator separately. "The danger has passed," he said bluntly.

"What danger?" Raph demanded, sitting cross-legged on the ground. He massaged his throbbing tail, shooing a venomous glare at Leo in the process. "Master Splinter, we can't know what the shell you're talking about unless you at least explain something to us!"

"All shall be revealed in due time, my son," he replied sagely, rising. Raph started to protest hotly and was silenced by a stern gaze. Leo itched his bandaged arm uncomfortably. Leatherhead stared at the floor. Splinter broke the uneasy silence. "While seeing that you have nothing to occupy your time, may I suggest that you go find the remaining dragon?"

"I suppose it's only right," Leo muttered, pulling at the gauze for lack of something better to distract his roaming hand.

"Quit it, Leo, or you'll open that gash up again," Raph ordered. Splinter cast an amused eye at the red-eyed turtle.

"Yes, Mother Hen," Leo quipped with a grin.

"Since when didja see a chicken with red eyes?"

"Only time I'd guess there was one was when a pink eye epidemic started amongst the poultry," he teased.

Leatherhead raised a three-fingered hand in thoughtfulness. "Actually, I do believe that has happened to a certain degree."

"Whatevah. Leo, we'd better get our shells in gear if we're gonna find Kiyo," Raph stated, turning for the Lair door.

Be aware, Raph, that Kiyo isn't a blabber bucket like Iwansi, Bima, or me, Rijinn reminded them. He's rather quiet, and locating him by hearing when you're relatively close to his prison wouldn't be easy.

"Oh, so you suggest we use ya as a living compass?"

Precisely.

"What fun. More tromping. Speakin' of traveling, what exotic location we off to this time?"

Hmm…gimme a moment…

"We could probably afford a nap while we're at it," Leo yawned.

"What's this?" Raph asked in mock shock, his red eyes widening. "The early bird weary? Is the world comin' to an end?"

"Cut the crud. I'm tired."

"Obviously. You're never this cranky."

"Hush, Raphael," Splinter admonished, hurrying to Leo's side. "You should take his advice and use this time to sleep as well." The Sai-carrying turtle snorted at having to obey "Splinter Jr."

"Yeah, an' where do ya suggest we sleep, eh?" Raph gestured to the dying light bulb by the temporary infirmary erected when the Lair half caved in.

"I may be of some use there," Leatherhead declared. "Raphael, where is your room?"

"Hang it, LH, I gotta get a flashlight first." Tail trailing behind him, he bounded to the infirmary cot and took a peek into Don's lab closet. "Holy shell, he's got a lotta stuff in here. Could drown half Arabia wit' this junk," he grunted, beginning to start the task of sifting through all the various parts. "Geez, there's even a motherboard in here!" He pitched that out of the way only to have it caught by Leatherhead.

"Raphael," he said, turning the circuitry over in his hands and running it over with a practiced eye. "Be careful with these! Donatello—"

"Obviously has no need for it, cuz if he did, he wouldn'a stuffed it in here."

"True, it is damaged somewhat."

"Aha!" Raph cried out in triumph. He scrambled to get out of the closet and experimentally turned the flashlight on, sending a beam of blinding light into Leo's eyes not twenty feet away. "Oops, sorry Leo."

Leatherhead smiled. "It's a little shell with a handle."

Raph shrugged in response. "The creativity thing just don't go that far in little Donnie boy. Now, here ya go," he grunted, proffering the device to the mutant alligator.

"Now then, where is your room?"

"Up here." Raph pointed to the upper level of the Lair. "If it ain't buried by rubble, I could prob'ly crash in there," he muttered, hopping off the raised platform of yellow stone and into the center area. He glanced around. "Hey, that's funny. These red eyes gimme night vision."

"I'll bet Don has it the same way," Leo yawned, sagging against Splinter.

Raph threw the rat a questioning glance but was waved on and hopped up the main hill of rock and dust with a careful countenance. Once or twice he slipped and slid to the bottom on his carapace, much to the partial amusement of Leatherhead. Growling fiercely in those instances, he sprang up and instead tried the fire escape ladder going up the wall to the upper level. He helped the mutant alligator up and took the flashlight from his immense hands. "Okay, LH, my place should be right around—Aw shell," he groaned.

His doorframe had literally fallen in on itself like a house of cards. "That, my friend, is why I asked where it was. So I may be of some HELP!" he snarled, pushing the pile to the right of the startled turtle. He clapped his hands off and gave Raph a satisfied wink. "Now, go inspect your quarters."

He didn't need urging. Raph was in as soon as the rocks were gone and much to Leatherhead's pleasure, he gave a solid shriek and went rocketing out into the main chamber of the Lair.

"Where'd you get it, Keilah?" Don asked, turning the recurve bow over in his hands. "I've never seen its like."

The girl stretched her legs wearily and sighed. "I dunno, one minute the griffin had paused to catch a breath, the next it just sorta went poof into my hand."

"Mmmm." Don ran his fingers across the smooth string. "Well, normally, archers use bee's wax to keep the string in good shape. This, however," he said, giving it a twang with his fingers, "is not bee's wax. It's some other substance, and I've no clue of where it came from." He knocked experimentally on the deep brown wood. "The wood it's made of…I'm going to take a crack at mahogany. Now, the arrows, if you please." Keilah absently handed him the quiver. She was still shuddering over the fact that she had killed something. Don pulled one of them out of the quiver, giving a whistle of appreciation. "Now _these_ are classy. The feathers they're fletched with look to be swan feathers, but I can't be sure. And the arrowheads! They're…they look like solid diamond. Whoever made these has some serious style." He handed both weapons back to the girl, who turned the bow over in her hands after returning the strange ammunition back to the gilded quiver.

"Whoa, wait a minute!" She squinted at the handle and read off a strange message: "'Darkness flees its pierce of white, Light always powers its twilight flight, The arrows of Aireilei repel the evil, That has taken our land since the beginning of time.' That's creepy."

"Let me see that, Keilah!" Don grunted, holding out his hand, The girl gave it back to the technoturtle and was surprised when he demanded, "How on earth can you read this? The symbols are like the language of a different dimension!" She crawled to his side and stared at it.

"I can read it just fine; I don't know what _your _issue is," she muttered crossly.

"Well, if you don't mind, I'd like some food, Sherlock Holmes," Mikey grumbled, getting up and limping toward the base of Aelaki's half submerged neck. "Yo, dino girl!" The plesiosaur turned her head and looked at him askance. "Can ya get me over there?" The turtle pointed to the quiet island, where not five minutes ago, Keilah had killed a black griffin with three arrows.

Don handed to bow back to the girl and stood, rubbing his forehead. "We're in the middle of something so much bigger than we know, Keilah," he grunted, yawning cavernously. She frowned, opened the quiver strap, and put it around her waist like a belt, the arrows in easy reach within the quiver at her left hip. "And is it just me, or are they getting bigger?" he murmured to himself. "Your wings," he chuckled half-heartedly as she gave him a confused look.

Keilah spread them at full wing span. "Prob'ly. Gimme your answer: How do I look?" She pulled up her bow and pretended to nock and arrow on the string.

"Well, if you, the future, were attempting to scare the crud out of some Purple Dragons, you could do it that way. However," he advised, "in a battle of guerilla warfare, namely ninjitsu, you wouldn't want to make yourself so visible." His purple eyes laughed at her as she lowered her bow, visibly deflated. "I think your wingspan is now at least fifteen feet now."

"So each of my wings is seven and a half feet long?"

"Correct." Keilah peered behind him and grinned. "What? What are you smiling—GAH!" Don was suddenly hoisted into the air by his light lavender tail. The culprit was Aelaki, of course. "Ow, ow, **_OW_**, this hurts! Put me down, put me—" He got a glimpse of Keilah laughing before he plummeted into cold seawater beside Aelaki's right flipper. He surfaced with a strangled gasp, trying to keep the tears of pain from invading the rest of his face. His posterior stung like the Dickens, there was no mistaking that. Don felt nearly positive it had been ripped off of him. Shooting a murderous glare at the laughing dragon-girl, he began swimming for shore, using his throbbing tail as a rudder.

Keilah stopped giggling and unstrung the bow on one end, sliding it around between her wings until it was in the right place: one end rested on the left shoulder, the part closest to her neck, and the other was at her right hip. She re-strung it and prepared to fly. With three powerful downbeats, she left Aelaki's back and became a creature of air. _Twisting and diving like a love-struck robin_, Don muttered to himself, touching the shallows with his feet. He waded out of the water to meet Mikey, wringing his bandanna out vigorously before tying it back on. He took a look at his Bo and grunted.

"I saw what Aelaki pulled on you," his younger brother declared with a grin. Mikey suddenly looked up and fought to keep his features blank. Without warning, Don found himself grabbed by the arms by female hands and soaring twenty feet in the air. He whooped in surprise as Keilah, laughing, gave him an aerial view of the island.

"This is awesome!" Don yelled into the wind, feet and tail dangling in the air.

"I feel like a fork with a piece of oversized bacon on my prongs!" Keilah grunted, making a show of flapping in mock exertion.

"I'm not that heavy, am I?"

She stopped purposely straining her wings and beat them at a more relaxed pace. "For me, no. Earlier, like maybe on the freighter, you would've been." Don fell silent and just stared at the island. He sneaked a glance at Keilah and found her mid-back length hair was snapping around furiously in the breezes up here. "And going down!" she announced, locking her wings in a steep dive. Don found that it felt like a roller coaster. Every once in a while, she'd angle upward and flap up a 'hill'. Then would come the exhilarating downward glide – well, not really a glide; rather it at a bullet speed. Several times Keilah flipped and twisted around, and Don was glad his stomach was empty.

When at last they landed, Don staggered on the sand and collapsed from dizziness. "Don, how many fingers am I holding up?" Mike asked, waving his hand in front of the other turtle's rolling eyes.

"Gimme a minute to wait for the world to stop spinning," he moaned, laying where he was and making no move to rise. "Uh, three."

"He's okay," Mikey declared, turning around to gaze at Aelaki – only to discover she'd vanished!

Keilah patted his shoulder. "Don't feel bad, Mike, she's been hungry ever since Marianas Trench."

"No, Iwansi said she needed air, not food."

"Well, before the dragons left on their mission, Bima did mention Aelaki being hungry. And I believe her, considering how many rumbles I felt through the plesiosaur's skin."

Don got to his feet, rubbing his eyes. "Never try those stunts with me in hand, Keilah," he groaned, lurching slightly. The offending girl chuckled a small bit and made for the trees.

"Here, Donnie, lemme help ya," Mike offered, limping to his side and giving his support to the dizzy turtle. "That heartless _witch._"

"WHAT WAS THAT, MICHELANGELO?" Keilah roared from the vegetation. He grinned nervously and hobbled Don to the edge of the trees.

"You gonna be okay now?" he asked Don.

"Yeah," the other replied, leaning against a palm tree before entering the small assortment of bushes, plumeria, and others which Don could easily identify. "Hey, here's a mamane tree! Shell, it's pretty!" He bent back to see the yellow blossoms in pale waning moonlight.

"Yo Donnie! Quit bein' an agriculture dweeb and get your shell in gear!" Keilah called from up ahead. Don growled at being disturbed and stomped on through the branches. When he finally arrived in the glade, he found Keilah standing by a dark lump and Mike cowering in a corner of the grassy area. Back in the far distance, steam rose in belches. "Over here," the girl called, backing away from the lump as Don came over.

It was the griffin, dead as a doornail. "AACK!" Don yelled as the sightless eyes bored into him. "What the – phew, it's…shell, that thing's _scary._"

"My thoughts exactly," Mikey whimpered, edging to Don's side with a look of pure disgust and terror written clearly on his face.

Don knelt and took a quick scan-over with his eyes. "I'd guess this thing's an adolescent; a teen, if you will. I don't see why it had any reason to attack you—"

"I don't see any reason why it's here!" Mike gulped.

"Will you get a hold of yourself?" Don glared and continued to look the creature over. "how many times you had to shoot it," he grunted, pulling the three arrows out of the griffin's chest. Much to Mikey's horror, it jerked. He squealed and ran to the bushes where he retched. "Clean these off, Keilah. You should never waste arrows like that," he ordered, handing her the bloody ammo. With a grimace, she knelt on dragon knees and started to wipe them off on the grass. "This griffins had a pretty darn hard sternum protecting it. Oh, hang it, there's a symbol on his beak and I can't quite get a good look at it, but…" He scurried around to the other side of the bird-lion's head and was startled to hear an abrupt rip. "What in the name of…"

"YEOW!" Keilah ran to the stream and plunged into it, soaking her burning posterior with a cringe every now and then. "My bum…ouch, gosh dang it, I feel like I'm sitting on a bed of _nails_!"

Mikey returned from his date with the bush, wiping his mouth of traces of bile. "Y'know, that's exactly what you did when you—"

"Got my TAIL!" Don exclaimed, leaving the griffin and rushing to the wincing girl in the stream. "Stand up for the love of Pete, girl, I need to assess your symptoms!" he commanded, hauling her to her feet. Something white came out of nowhere and smacked him in the plastron, knocking him down. "I'm okay, I'm okay," he declared as Keilah ran now to his side.

"What happened?" she asked, helping him up.

"This happened and ain't it a beaut!" Mike held up the end of a five foot-long white tail with a grin.

"Nuts."

The first thing Iwansi regained consciousness to was the hollow thumping of blood in her ears. Grunting, she opened her eyes and sat up, surprised to find her ribs didn't hurt when she inhaled. Why was that? She looked down. Scars riddled her sides and legs. All bandages were gone and she could finally see what happened to her precious leg. _Iwojik _lied! she hissed to herself. _He didn't cut it off at the socket! More like at my mid-thigh!_ Glumly she tried to wiggle the stump. _He probably told me that to freak me out._

Scrambling out of the white bed sheets, she stood experimentally and fell over from lack of support from her non-existent right leg. Gritting her teeth, she tried again, only having the same result. _A harder floor would help,_ Iwansi grumbled, inching to the edge of the bed. _That won't work! This darned thing's up too high for my comfort!_ She grabbed a portion of the sheet with her claws and slid off the edge of the mattress with a squeak, landing directly on her behind. With a grunt, she got herself up and standing.

Then she graduated to attempting walking. The first step ended with a face plant. The second resulted in falling on her right side. _This won't work at all, _she groaned, struggling to get upright. (GAH!)

The door burst open and Renet towered over her. "Aw, c'mon, little girl, you can't be walking yet," she scolded, picking the yellow dragon up. "Like, we haven't installed the cyborg leg yet." The teen nestled Iwansi in her arms before marching out of the room.

(Cyborg? What in the name of my claw are you talking about? And how am I healed so fast?)

"Oh, like sorry. Lord Sim felt kind enough to speed up your recovery process with the Time Scepter. And about the cyborg part, I kinda forgot you don't know about that kind of stuff. Well…" Iwansi gazed in wonder at the various paintings that graced the walls. Renet's perky voice droned on, but the little dragon was too entranced by a certain portrait. It was of a rainbow colored dragon, nearly forty-five feet in length. The huge reptile had its wings outstretched and mouth open wide, revealing rows of sharp white teeth. Its eyes were the same color as its scintillating hide. Its white-horned head was cocked, long ears pricking forward in attentiveness. The dragon's wide back was arched proudly, showing off its passenger in the sunset. On its wide back was a strange woman with flowing black hair and white irises. _She's blind, _Iwansi realized in awe. The woman was fair-skinned and the painter had made some of the hair lift back to reveal pointed ears. _An elf! _The elf was dressed in a flowing gown that covered her modestly yet not enough to obscure her perfect figure.

"Yoohoo? Dragon?" Renet had stopped a while ago, letting Iwansi get full view of the dragon in the picture.

(Huh?) Iwansi responded a second later than she should have.

"Oh, you're looking at the picture of Niracan and Rainbou, huh?" Iwansi nodded, eyes still locked on Rainbou's. "I bet you, like, wanna know where that place is, huh?" Another slow nod. "'Kay, that world's called Haradris. Lately – and by lately, I mean, like, the last one thousand years, cause that's a short time for us here in the Seventh Dimension of Null Time – they've been having severe problems with a real uncool dude—" She scratched her helmet with a free hand. "—who I can't seem to remember the name of, but he's been enslaving whatever magical creatures he can find; dragons mainly. As far as I know, Rainbou and Niracan are long since dead, but Rainbou's said to be the mother of the very first dragon hatchlings in that world." Suddenly, a chill swept through Iwansi. She could've sworn that Rainbou changed her gaze at the little dragon from a proud one to a motherly, loving one. Iwansi shivered as Renet moved on.

(Ah, what did you say before?) Iwansi asked, still shivering violently.

"Like, Iwojik's gotten our main electronics man, Rihari, to make you a cyborg leg. He'll give you the details when we – hold up, here we are!" They entered the right side of a metallic looking room, full of screwdrivers, metal, and spare wires. A small, thin man with fluffy green-brown hair in the lower left corner was working furiously at his metal desk on something, huffing and muttering to himself frequently. He reached for some kind of small welder, thought the better of it, and groped for a different tool nearby, filling the place with a buzzing sound. Every five to ten seconds, he'd stop at look at something before continuing. "Ahem!"

The man whirled around, goggles shielding his eyes. "Well, I'll be! Renet, didn't you see the 'DO NOT DISTURB' sign in bright letters on my door?" He pulled the goggles up to reveal a heavily tanned face, complete with brown-flecked green eyes and a mouth that threatened to frown. Among other things, he had a proud hooked nose and long bronze-colored ears that were nearly the size of his hand at length. "I gave distinct orders not to be disturbed."

"You forgot again, Rihari."

Rhari leapt off the chair and Iwansi fought to stifle a guffaw. The little man was only as tall as Renet's elbow. (This place is full of odd creatures,) she commented.

Rihari glared and crossed his arms. "You, young whelp, would be wise to keep your insolent mouth shut," he grumped, squinting critically at her. Iwansi immediately shut up. This guy had enough command about him to put Lord Simultaneous to shame.

"Uh, dragon—"

(M'names Iwansi, Renet,) the little dragon mumbled absently, avoiding Rihari's gaze. The little man snorted.

"Iwansi, meet Rihari."

(Pleasure, dustbag.)

"Hey," Renet cried indignantly. "Well, anyway, Rihari here's a gnome from Kyrlod."

(Sounds like clod.)

Rihari shot her a venomous glare. "And I suppose your realm has a better name, hm?"

(Ah, no, not really. Earth.)

"Are you kidding me?" he snorted again, snatching a long forest green hat from a rack on the wall and smashing it onto his head. "I may be a gnome, but I certainly know there aren't any dragons like you in that pathetic world."

(Are you sure?)

"Positive," he replied, scratching his long nose. Iwansi felt detached. Like a ghost that's slipped out of the ether.

Renet jiggled her. "Iwansi?" No response. "Hey!" _SNAP! _

(WHOA!) Iwansi jumped.

"What is _with_ you today, Iwansi?"

(It's just so wrong! I never thought I wouldn't be from Earth! If I'm not then…where am I from?)

"I hope you're done moaning pitifully like that," Rihari grunted, pulling a lever on the wall. A raised steel table in the middle of the room came down lower so the gnome could reach it. "I'm ready to perform my business, so if you'll leave the dragon here and excuse me…"

"Oh, right! Sorry Rihari!" In a daze, Iwansi scrambled out of Renet's arms and onto the cold table, sitting there and staring at the wall.

Rihari appeared in her peripheral vision and muttered something. "HEY! I said listen up!" he bellowed. Iwansi jumped again and looked at him askance. "First of all, before I put your lights out, I want to tell you that I'm putting a microchip in your skull so you can control the movements of your replacement leg like the one you had before. Now," he said, glaring out from under bushy white eyebrows at her to make sure she was still paying attention, "this'll take a while; maybe no more than three to five hours. If you start waking up, I'll have to conk you out once more. Got it?" Iwansi nodded stiffly. "Now beat it, Renet. I need my space for concentration. I'll let you know when she's ready for pick up."

Renet called out a farewell to Iwansi before being bustled out of the room by the cranky gnome. Rihari locked the door with a grunt and hung his hat on a peg. He stood on a stool before a sink and washed his callused hands before donning a white lab coat and surgical gloves. The gnome hopped off the stool and pulled a breathing mask out from under the table.

"Alright, girly, you know the drill." He pushed Iwansi onto her left side so her stump of a right leg was up where Rihari could reach it. "In and out. No funny business about saying you don't like it, because I'll force it into your lungs manually if I have to." Iwansi believed him. Beetling his eyebrows, he clapped the mask over her muzzle and turned on the anesthesia. "Good night," he growled rather humorlessly as the gas took effect. Iwansi's visible eyelid (because the other was covered in the yellow fluff of her fur) drooped over her yellow iris and she was out before five seconds had gone by.


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: **It's been said a thousand times and I'm backing it up: I don't won the TMNT, or Leatherhead, Splinter, Casey, April, or Shredder (but I'm _glad _I don't own him!).

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**29.**

Saesha trembled and held her stomach, glued to the spot where she'd just hurled into the bushes. Where was her sister? Where was Iwansi? What had happened to her? She squeezed her eyes shut as a tear breached the barrier and slid down her scaly cheek. Bima slumped motionless next to the dead, smoking basilisk (result of Saesha's flaming it to see if it was a trick), staring hard at the grass between her forelegs. If Iwansi was – NO! Bima shook her head vigorously and gritted her teeth. She refused to even consider her sister being dead.

Then she had an idea. Snapping out of her dazed state, she stood and gulped. Bima turned her head to the basilisk's stomach. The sparrow landed on one of her horns, chittering. _"Wait just a durned minute, lass, you don't know what you're—" _he began, cut off when the half crazed-with-loss dragon held up a clawed paw and stabbed the limp reptile. It jerked sickeningly and leaked blood as Bima tore through its corpse. _"That ain't no cadaver, now stop this nonsense!" _Bima continued to dig at its stomach, rivulets of black bloods spurting down the basilisk's sides.

Saesha turned away from the horrific scene, snatches of Davianna maimed and dead flashing through her mind. _'No, I don't want to…think of such a grievous thing right now!' _she cried in mental anguish. Davianna's triumph, even in death; images of the Shredder and his bloodstained sword.._'Not my sister too!' _Saesha held her head as screams rent her memories, screams from Iwansi; how Saesha had desperately rushed to find Bima and save her sister; how the thoughts _I'm not going to make it in time! _ran ceaselessly through her head. How she'd arrived only to find Iwansi gone and the basilisk dead, skull bashed in with some unknown object.

The dull thump of Bima's claws on that awful bleeding creature halted, instead replaced by a silent howl of grief. For her sake, the sparrow released his hold on her vocals and Bima moaned heartrendingly, collapsing in the grass. _Why did I have to wander off? WHY? _She curled up into a tight ball, wings shielding herself from the outside world, tail curled around her paws.

"_Will yew be QUIET?" _the sparrow roared. Saesha stopped her staring in almost soulless shock at the ground but refused to turn around for fear that she'd retch at the sight of black blood matting the grass. Bima hesitantly unfurled her wings and raised her head. _"I wus tryin' to tell yer that basilisk's don't eat things as small as your sister! They eat stuff like yew!" _he bellowed, pointing a wing at Saesha. _"She won't be in that thing's stomach, yew crazed reptiles!"_

Wild hope raged inside both sisters. What if she wasn't dead? _'Then what happened to her, sparrow? Where is our sister?'_

"_Fer starters, m'name is Lharom." _Bima sniffed and looked self consciously at her bloody claws. _"Secondly, all's not lost. Search fer clues as to who rescued yer sister and start cryin' when ya _can't _find anything!"_

Saesha deep-sixed her instincts telling her not to look at the mangled carcass of the basilisk and whirled around. _'Do you mean to say we can find out who killed this thing if we can find something like a scrap of cloth?' _she asked. Lharom nodded and took to the air, scanning the grass for anything. Bima wiped her claws on unsoiled grass and started sniffing for her sister's scent.

_Okay, so here's where it starts, right in this tree, _she muttered, rearing up and inspecting a certain crook in a tree branch. _She was scared, there's no doubting it; this thing wreaks of fear. _Bima wrinkled her muzzle. _My guess is she jumped from here like this— _Bima, since she was obviously too heavy for the slim branch, launched into the air and hovered where Iwansi might have leapt. _—and attempted to ambush him—_

'_Ninja style,' _Saesha declared with a weak grin.

Bima landed by the basilisk. _Apparently she missed his eyes because there are some scratches in his scales along the muzzle. _The silver blue dragon pointed to a row of small, shallow grooves by its nostrils. _Not a bad shot, _she commented. _Moving on, she ripped his flopping ridge right here. _Several long gouges along the middle section of the ridge interrupted the opaque webbing of small veins, leathery skin, and bone, proof that Iwansi had pierced it and pulled up when she tried to release her hold on the basilisk's ridge. The end result of that movement was a series of rips almost long enough to sever the section entirely from the reptile's back.

'_It's quite obvious she gave this idiot a heck of a time,' _Saesha remarked, averting her eyes from the mangled body of the basilisk.

_There's a lesson to be learned from all of this: dragons rule, basilisks drool._

Saesha padded around the glade, snorting and sniffing around the grass. _'It appears that after the basilisk got conked on the head, it dropped Iwansi here,' _she said, motioning to a bloodstained spot on the emerald ground. _But here it grows hard to decipher. Somebody—' _Saesha wrinkled her nose in confusion. _'—excuse me,_ the_ somebody that whacked this guy's eternal lights out picked up Iwansi and vanished into thin air. The scent is odd; I'd say it smells like Time itself, if there is such a thing.'_

"_My suspicions lie with Renet, then," _Lharom chirped, landing on the lavender dragon's ear tip.

'_Gah, that tickles!' _she giggled, flicking her ear around and sitting down to scratch it with a hind leg. Lharom was flung off and hovered nearby, glaring in distaste.

_But how'd Renet get here?_

"_The Time Scepter, of course!" _Lharom snorted, as if surprised it hadn't been figured out already. _"But, she may have warped back to the physical realm of the Seventh Dimension of Null Time; when yew enter the door going there, yer almost positive to end up in Lord Sim's special orb, the thing he talks to Ling Pi in. Obviously Ling Pi's a ghost of his former self—" _Lharom chuckled at his own joke while Bima and Saesha just narrowed their eyes at the stupidity of it. _"—so he stays in there all the time. Yew lasses, however, have both physical and ghostly bodies; yew can transfer from the world of the Transparent to the world of the Opaque." _Both dragon sisters exchanged 'do-you-get-this-cause-I-sure-don't' glances._ "What ah'm getting' at here is the fact that you lasses can, once inside Lord Sim's orb, transfer out of it and into his study. He won't like that, for sure, but it's the only way to find your sister and ask Ling Pi that question at the same time."_

_You're dead serious?_

"_Ah may be serious, but I certainly ain't dead." _Lharom preened his back while Bima rolled her eyes, exasperated.

'_And what's the world of the Transparent?'_

"_Simply what we here in the Dream Realms call…well, the Dream Realms. Other names don't sit well with the rest of us animal types."_

Saesha cocked her head and frowned._ 'Say, that _is _strange. How come you never see any humans around here?'_

"_Ah'm thankful to say that they live far away from here in different settlements. Nobody likes basilisks, which is the main reason they avoid this forest like the plague. We animals git along fine; it never can catch anything but a wounded critter."_

_Can we go now? _PleaseBima's wings twitched, a sure sign of impatience. _I don't want to stay here any longer then I have to! We came here to get answers, and right now, we aren't!_

Saesha sighed and raised her wings, in the air with three powerful downbeats. _'Which way, Lharom?'_

"_We're goin' to the Junction of Portals, so that'd be North. Foller me an' try to keep pace with me, cause I ain't stoppin'!" _Lharom shot off to the left over toward the plains and the dragons followed at a rather blistering speed.

"Drat these transformations!" Keilah growled, snatching her tail from Mike's hands. "What's wrong with me? I thought you said that it only happened with reptiles!"

Don scratched his chin and flattened his ears. "Well, the only thing I can think of is that somebody ejected the DNA into your system. But that's impossible! The subject from whom the DNA came from had to have a molecular structure similar to a human's!" he reasoned.

"What about you guys?"

"No, then you'd be a turtle, not a dragon."

"I'm not sure I'd want to consider that." She felt her long white horns with a hand self-consciously and shifted her weight from her right leg to her left.

"Gee thanks."

She waved her hands. "No, no, that wasn't meant to be an insult, Donnie."

Don perked his ears up and straightened. "Say, where'd Mikey go?"

Something bumped into his carapace. "Uh, Don?"

"There you are!"

The sound of rustling chain links came to their ears as Mike pulled out his 'chuks. "No time, dude! We've got company! A whole lotta company!"

Keilah's eyes bulged as she looked behind Don. "Oh shell!"

Don turned around and repeated the phrase with like expression. "Not more of them!"

Keilah pulled out her bow and nocked an arrow with trembling fingers. "Here we go again…" Screeches rent the air, along with loud wing beats and hisses. Blotches of black blocked the dawning sun's sleepy rays: griffins. "There's a whole lot more of them this time! I count twenty-five!"

Don turned so he could see the griffins, side-by-side with Mikey. "But where'd they come from?" he asked quietly, pulling his Bo out and taking a defensive stance.

Keilah took her place to Mikey's left. "I don't know and I don't care!"

"Here they come!" Mike roared, twirling his 'chuks. The twenty-five diving griffins received and echoed the battle cry with more ferocity and eerieness than Mike could ever instill in an enemy. Then Don charged, bellowing at full lung capacity, swinging his Bo like a madman. He brought a griffin down from the air with a hollow smack to its wing and brought the whistling weapon down on the animal's beak with a crack.

Keilah released the arrow she'd been holding and watched it pierce the chest of a shrieking bird-lion that had been aiming for Mike. "Thanks dudette!" Mike brought down both 'chuks on another griffin with an almighty grunt, whipping his tail around behind him to discourage any guerilla attacks upon the ninja.

Don whipped out a shuruken and watched it slice a griffin's forearm, bringing it down to terra firma so he could bash its skull in. Keilah nocked another arrow from her position by the spring and shot it at one of the diving griffins which was trying to get an opening on Mike. Then she heard wing beats behind her and a savage screech. The dragon-girl launched off the ground to evade an ebony bullet. The griffin shot up to her level and stared icily at her.

"Aireilei must die for her actions," it hissed.

"Why does everyone want me to die today?" She nocked an arrow and released it at the animal in front of her, only to watch it vanish. "Alright, you chicken, where the shell did you go?" She whirled around and was tackled from the air, plummeting into the forest of tropical plants. Something sliced her right wing as she fell through the trees and she cried out in pain. The griffin attempted to claw her throat out but something just snapped within the girl. Her eyes blazed. "Get off of ME!" she roared, galvanized by pure rage.

Don heard the bellow from his circle of griffins and gasped. "Oh no…not a—" His attention was averted from the riveting sound and he was forced to fend off a jab by black claws. The purple-garbed turtle saw that his brother was in the same predicament. Then his brother went down. "MIKEY!" Don ran forward, smacking any or all opponents out of his way. "Back off you creeps!" He yanked the nearest griffin's lion tail and jumped upon its back, spring boarding into the center of Mikey's ring of opponents.

The turtle wasn't hurt, but he did have a few scratches. "M'okay," he groaned, trying to rise. Don threw each enemy a venomous glare as he helped his brother up.

Don panted, carapace to carapace with Mike, surrounded by about fifteen foes. The rest were dead. "Okay, Mike," he whispered, swallowing hard. "This isn't going to be easy."

"Me'n Leo did something like this with Mr. Touch and Mr. Go, only I was the one giving orders," Mike said with a grin, staring a griffin in the eye.

"Yeah, but this is more like a stakeout."

"No guns."

"True—" _WHACK! _"Watch it, Mikey! That griffin nearly had you! HIYA!" Don brought his Bo down hard on the griffin he'd just saved Mike's shell from.

_CRACK! _"And you watch _your _back, brainiac!" Mike grunted, smacking another ebony form with his 'chuks. Don grinned maliciously and wrapped his tail around a griffin's neck, slamming it on the grass while knocking another one around.

"I wish Leo and his katanas were here!" Don commented, kicking out like a snake.

"No dice, dude! We're the anti-blade turtles; wood all the way!"

"'Never hand somebody a scissors with the blade facing outward! You'll put your eye out, kid!'" _WHACK!_

Mike guffawed and stuffed one 'chuk in his belt, leaping on top of a griffin and putting the other in its beak. "Yeeehaw, gi' up, lil' griffin! WAHOO!" The animal bucked and reared, hissing and squealing. Don finally put an end to its misery by slitting its throat with a shuruken. "Aw, no fun, Donnie!"

The glade was full of dead griffin carcasses. Don leaned on his Bo and wiped his forehead. "What a battle!" Then he heard inhuman growls coming from the forest. "Oh shell! Keilah! She's gotten into a Blood Rage!"

Mikey limped after his brother, muttering, "Shell, shell, shell, shell—OW!" He tripped over a griffin's clawed paw and limped on. "Shell, shell, shell…"

When Don arrived at the battle zone, he gaped. Keilah was streaked with red griffin blood, some of her own coming out her right wing. Her normally smiling mouth was twisted into a murderous snarl. Her quiver was nearly empty of all arrows and her opponent stood panting between two trees.

"Snap out of it, Keilah!" The girl took no notice and shot at the griffin again, the arrow landing with a thunk in the trunk directly beside it. Mike covered his mouth in horror. "Don, how can we—"

"Saesha said it's near impossible to get her out of the state," he said grimly, returning his Bo to its holster. "She can snap out of it, but only if one of two things happens: her opponent dies or Ling Pi gets through to her. The chances of either are slim."

"Then why don't we help her kill it?" Don was disturbed slightly; he'd never heard such bloodthirsty words from his normally carefree brother.

"Because she doesn't know enemy from friend. She might shoot you." The look of horror on Mike's face was enough to wrestle tears from one's eyes. "There is, however, a slim chance of nullifying the effects of Blood Rage."

"How?"

"We put her lights out."

"You're kidding."

"No joke."

"How the shell are we even supposed to get near the madgirl?"

"Does the word 'ninjitsu' ring any bells?"

Mike smiled weakly. "But of course, Sir Donatello."

"Good," the other crowed. "Now, what you'll have to do is climb up into that tree branch above her and smack her in the back of the neck with your 'chuks."

Mike removed one of the weapons and gazed at it apprehensively. "I don't know about this, Don…she was kinda mad the last time we conked her out."

Don shrugged, watching Keilah shoot another arrow at the evasive griffin. "What can you do?" Mike gave him a mournful look but scampered cautiously over to the tree in question. "That's it…" Don coaxed softly, supervising Mike's slow ascent to the branch. It happened in a split second; not even Don saw it coming. Keilah, white-eyed and furious, whirled - and shot Mikey in the chest. "MIIIKEEEEY!"

Iwansi screamed, jerking awake in sweat. She'd had a horrible dream: that griffins had attacked Keilah, Don, and Mike – and Mike had been grievously wounded in the chest. Her breathing was short and hurried. That was _awful_! Her chest went up and down in gasps.

Sighing shakily, she flopped back down onto her pillow only to sit back up again, electrified. Her eyes wandered until she hit the glinting piece of metal that was her new leg. It was a strange thing to be sure; bright green lines spider webbed across its shining surface. Iwansi spotted small dots every now and then, travelling up and down those lines. Her claws were sharp, thin, and blade-like; thin enough to penetrate a doorknob lock. She wiggled them experimentally and bent them, satisfied with the results. (I'm a walking arsenal: teeth, claws, knives, and fire, the whole array of weaponry,) she muttered, standing up on wobbling legs.

Her cyborg body part felt numb; almost like it wasn't there. (Well, there ain't any nerves in that thing, you idiotic, druggie reptile,) she berated, settling onto her stomach. The disturbing dream she just had…was it true? She certainly hoped not.

Suddenly, Renet, burst through the door, her face twisted with shock and worry. "Iwansi, I just saw those little green bald guys in the Orb of Hindsight!" A sickening feeling began to rise from her stomach. "It's Mikey, he…he got shot." Ice penetrated her senses as she lay there in shock.

(No…not Mike,) she whispered, her throat tightening. She vaguely felt Renet pick her up and cuddle her as a tear slipped off the dragon's muzzle.

"Don't start crying yet, Iwansi," Renet murmured, plucking the dragon's tuft of fluff out of her right eye. "I like, don't think he's dead yet."

"_Renet_!"

"What's that tyrant want now?" she groaned, hurrying out the door.

Lord Simultaneous came shuffling down the infirmary hall, his face the picture of fury. "_You_," he hissed, pointing at Iwansi. "What'd you do, summon an army on me?"

Iwansi shot him a confused glance, her eyes still watering from recent events. (I beg your pardon, King Grumpy?)

"Ignoring that." He plucked her from Renet's arms, who gave a squeak of protest. Tucking the dragon under his right arm, he proceeded to march down the hall and into the main chamber of the building, making a left to an intricate-looking door. He pushed it open and released Iwansi into the room, shutting the door when he came in. "Tell me who _they _are." He pointed to a mass of lavender and silver blue on the marble floor in front of a swirling orb. She heard somebody laughing softly.

(Bima and Saesha?) Iwansi asked incredulously, bounding up to the unconscious dragons.

"Those two louts simply popped right out of there without so much as a warning," Lord Sim grumbled, crossing his arms.

Iwansi poked Bima's nose and got zero reaction. (There's no possible way they can do that!)

"Do what?"

(We dragons are only able to assume physical form if we're inside a carrier, in Saesha and my case, a giant turtle. No way in the name of my claw can they just pop out like that in physical form already!)

"You did," Lord Sim pointed out rather smugly.

(Yeah, but the Time Scepter did that!)

Dear dragon, you do not entirely understand this, do you?

(Come out with your hands up, Ling Pi!)

I am in the orb, child.

(I hope I'm _not _your child. I'd hate to see what your wife looked like.)

Now see here…

Iwansi grunted and skidded on the smooth marble, her metal leg scrabbling for purchase on the frictionless ground. (How'd they do it?) she asked, rearing up to get a good look at the man.

Ling Pi chuckled. I see you have not changed, Iwansi.

(Look who's dead,) she snorted.

You wished to know how they were able to assume physical form, yes?

(Duh.)

You are unique spirits, he began.

(Don't call me a spirit; it bugs me.)

You dragons have the ability to be ghost and physical, although a magical outlet is required for such a thing.

(You mean to say that if we can find an orb like this one, we can pop out of nowhere and become fleshy?)

Ah, but there is a drawback. If in the presence of your carrier, you shall be sucked back into his or her mind immediately.

(Drat.)

Saesha groaned loudly and struggled to get out from under Bima's heavy body. 'Get off me, Bima!' No dice. The dragon was still out cold. Iwansi, claws clicking, came over to a position where her sister could see her. Saesha's eyes widened in disbelief. 'No way, you're alive!'

(And kicking.)

'How'd you get the leg?'

Iwansi made a face. (That basilisk broke my leg, so it hadda be amputated and replaced with this one.)

Bima grunted. _I feel like a train hit me seventeen times…_Her eyes connected with Iwansi's and she tumbled off of Saesha in surprise. _What the..!_

(It's good to see you too.)

_You have no idea how worried we wee about you! _She enveloped Iwansi in a crushing hug.

(Choking, not breathing!)

Bima released her and cracked her back. _We saw what Renet did to that basilisk._

(Oh really?)

_She bashed its eternal lights out, _Bima cackled.

Saesha winced. 'Gosh, go on a diet, Bima!' She locked eyes with Lord Simultaneous for a moment and yelped. 'Holy claw, it's him!'

_And he looks none too happy that we've interrupted his quiet discussion. _

"I'm none too happy because there are three fire-breathing dragons in my study!" he bellowed.

(Ah. Books equal flammable paper.)

"Exactly, now beat it!"

'Hold up! We've something to ask Ling Pi.'

I am listening.

'We need to know what's been happening to Keilah.'

I know not a Keilah.

_You do too! Girl, about this tall—_ Bima held up her forepaw about five feet in the air. _She's been getting horns and wings._

Ah. That one. Let me inform you of something. She is a…(whisper, whisper)

A few seconds after the hushed announcement, everyone was startled by a loud squeak. (You're kidding!) Iwansi cried, flaring her wings.

Bima and Saesha looked at their sister in puzzlement. _Beg pardon?_

(Haradris! Oooh, where's that painting?) Iwansi ran to the double doors, jumped on the knob and turned it, gliding out of the room.

'Wait up!' Two more dragons thundered past the Lord of Time.

"I'm getting' too old for dragons to be runnin' around this joint," Lord Sim grumbled.

Iwansi skidded to a stop before the portrait of Rainbou and Narican. (Now then, let's see this thing up close and personal…) Iwansi took flight hovering at least six feet away from the giant painting to see if she could find the desired answer.

'What are you doing?' Saesha asked, skidding on the marble floor only to gape at the painting. Bima had the same reaction.

Who— 

(AHA!) Iwansi flew toward a white blotch on the canvas, squinting hard at it. (There she is…he told the truth..)

'What?'

(Time to get back to Mikey!) Iwansi shot back in the direction of Lord Sim's study. Once in, she flew at the orb and vanished into it. Her sisters, now quite short of breath, galloped past Lord Simultaneous, huffing a curt "bye" and vanishing into the orb.


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: **Golly, how many times must I say this? I am a fan, hence the name, FANFICTION. Do I sound like Kevin Eastman or Peter Laird to you? I'm _female _for Pete's sake!

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**30.**

Raph yawned grumpily and stretched from his position on the couch. Last night had not been good. Leatherhead had managed to trick him into going into his room – while it had been full of New York City cockroaches. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why the alligator had pulled such a thing on him. He smacked his lips. His mouth felt like it was full of cotton.

Sitting up, he swung his legs off the edge of the couch and stood sleepily. "When I get my hands on that deranged croc I'm gonna wring his neck," Raph muttered, walking slowly toward the kitchen. He kicked a rock out of his path and pulled a Sai out of his belt, twirling it.

"Good morning, Raphael," Splinter called from the dojo. Actually, the center of the Lair had multiple purposes but usually it was used as a dojo. Raph bowed respectfully and inclined his head. "Do you aspire to fight?"

"Ah, no thanks, Sensei, but I'm not feelin' it today," he replied glumly, starting in the direction of the kitchen again. "I need a drink." Splinter's attentive eyes followed him suspiciously.

Leo's eyes popped open and narrowed. "Where's Raph?" he asked, getting out of the Lotus position and standing.

Splinter bowed slightly to his eldest; Leo returned the favor a little awkwardly, since his injured arm was still stiff from the large scab on it. "He claims to be getting a drink. I assume your meditation was a good one?"

He frowned in the dark, eyes flashing. "Master, have you ever felt that somebody you love has been hurt? Somebody that's far away and somebody you can't see at the moment?"

"Yes, I have, Leonardo. It was how I helped Donatello in his mental anguish on the Triceraton ship when they invaded. Why do you ask?" His ragged ears perked forward.

Leo itched at his bandage. "I've got a bad feeling about Mikey at the moment."

"Please tell me."

The sword-wielding turtle grunted softly when his roving hand pinched the bandage too hard and sent a sting up his arm. "Well, I felt a flash of ache in the right side of my chest and then it vanished."

"Just vanished?"

Leo nodded. "It may sound sorta odd, but I've got a feeling Mikey's in deep trouble."

"I am sure he is alright." He patted Leo's right shoulder – his injured arm. "Now, go eat, my son. You have a long journey ahead of you."

"How do you know, Sensei?"

Splinter smiled knowingly. "Rijinn informed me as of last night."

"Sneaky little dragon…Where are we off to?"

The mutant rat closed his eyes in thought. "Japan."

"MIIKEEEY!" Don screamed, hopping over a fallen tree and running to his brother's side. "No…" Blood flowed freely from his plastron, soiling Don's hands in red. "Shell it all…" he cursed blindly, fumbling for his bandanna knot. If he could pull the shaft out and stop the blood flow, Mike would have a better chance of living. Behind him, sounds of a furious battle raged.

Grimacing, he muttered a few words of apology to his wounded brother before grasping the shaft of the arrow and yanking it out. Mike jerked and groaned, the 'chuk in his hand falling out of his grip. "If only I had done something," Don moaned, wadding his purple bandanna up and squashing it onto the bloody hole, trying his best to staunch the blood flow.

A muffled crack rang out behind the two turtles and the lead griffin who was fighting Keilah screamed in anguish before falling silent, his head dented and bleeding. Don looked at the arrow in his hand and cursed softly again. The arrowhead was still embedded in Mikey's chest somewhere. What a dilemma.

"What happened to Mikey?"

Don turned his head and held up the arrow in silence. "This happened to Mikey."

Keilah's eyes went wide, filled with horror and remorse. "Did I.." She backed away, holding her bow away like it was demon-possessed from the underworld.

Don gritted his teeth, fighting to keep his tone quiet. "It wasn't your fault, Keilah. The Blood Rage did it; don't blame yourself," he muttered.

She kept staring at Mikey's profusely bleeding wound like it was an obsession. "No, I really _am _to blame for all of this." She hugged herself and let the floodgates open. "It was me who found Raph, got him mixed up in this mess." The dragon-girl's wings drew closer to her shaking body. "It was me who Tiquae really wanted, because I carried Bima. But now," she cried out, tears running down her cheeks. "I'm turning into an uncontrollable monster who kills innocent teens."

"You don't know if you've killed him or not! He's still breathing!"

The girl knelt at Mikey's side. Several tears fell onto Don's bloody bandanna, soaking it in salty water. "Don, I'm sorry I'm even alive…I'm to blame for all your misfortune, your new body parts, even the destruction of your home. Because I did all this, I don't deserve to be around," she mumbled softly, caressing Mike's cold cheek. "I'm…I've got to get away from you…before I hurt anyone else…before I almost kill another person I love…"

Don was in shock. "Keilah, you…can't leave now, what if they find you? Tiquae or the Shredder?"

Keilah stood up suddenly and yelled, sobbing, "I can't take this anymore! I can't bear to be in danger of hurting another one of you guys!" She gritted her teeth. "Remember to tell Raph that…he's the coolest guy I ever met!" With that, much to Don's distress, she raised her wings and in three powerful downbeats, flew away in tears.

"Keilah, NO! Come back here!" Don bellowed. But she was gone. Gone into the dawn sky.

Mike stirred. "What happened? Donnie…where is she? Where'd she go?" he groaned.

The other turtle stared almost soullessly at his brother's face in grief. "She's gone, Mikey. She left..she couldn't bear to stay around for fear she'd hurt another one of us."

The other squirmed under his piercing gaze. "What? You told her to _leave_?" Mikey accused uncomfortably.

"No, I didn't. I told you, she left on her own decision." Don massaged his forehead in weariness. "I tried to stop her, Mike, I really did, but…" His brother sat up, only to be pushed back down by Don. "Are you nuts? You've got a profusely bleeding arrow wound and you want to sit up? I think not."

"But I feel fine!" Don shot him a skeptical glance. "Honest I do, dude," he reassured his overly concerned technogeek sibling.

Don removed his blood-soaked bandanna from the arrow entry point and found it healed. "What the shell? Mikey, you self regenerated!"

"I did?" He sat up in interest.

"Oh, hold it," Don mused, holding his bandanna at arm's length. "Keilah dropped some tears on your wound…"

"You're saying she had…" Mikey gulped. The subject of her leaving still stung slightly. "Magical properties, Donnie?"

"Possibly. But it…hey, where'd this come from?" Don pulled on something encircling Mikey's neck. "It's that arrowhead that was stuck in your chest…on a chain?"

Mike snatched the diamond-like arrowhead from his brother protectively. "I'm treasurin' this thing."

Don sighed heart brokenly. "I really wish she hadn't chosen to leave." Mike tried to say something and choked. Don gazed at his brother and shamelessly clapped a hand on his shoulder. "She was a good friend…"

(We're baaack!) Mike jumped as Iwansi reentered his mind.

'What's with the tears?' Saesha sounded concerned.

The brothers exchanged glances and sighed. (Hang the claw a minute, Saesha, they won't tell us. Time to search the memory archives!) A few dramatic rustles were heard and Iwansi gasped. (Oh bloody claw…)

'Pardon?' Saesha inquired with a glare at her sister.

(It's the other kid…she left.) Iwansi sounded like somebody had punched her in the gut.

Saesha gasped. 'No wonder Bima was in such a hurry to find her! I knew I felt something wrong had happened!'

Iwansi sobered. (We found out why she's been having these transformations.)

Don cleared his throat. "And?"

(Well, she's the reincarnation of Aireilei, a dragoness warrior from the world of Haradris.)

His jaw dropped. "You're kidding!" he mumbled, not believing his ears.

'No joke.'

(And, well, I may have found out our origins.)

"I knew you didn't look Japanese!"

"Don, quit speakin' so loud!" Mike cried.

"I'm hardly whispering, Mikey."

"Then why the shell…"

"You've got dragon ears, Mikey."

(And creepy yellow eyes, I might add.)

"Look who's talkin'!"

(I dare you to repeat that, shell-for-brains.)

"Hah! Like I'm scared of a cat-sized, dudette Terminator! What's with the robo leg?"

Iwansi sighed. 'She got in a bloody brawl with a basilisk. That thing was ugly, lemme tell you.'

"KILL!" something hissed.

"Aw shell!" Don yelled.

"TATSU MORPH!" Iwansi popped out of midair with a roar and spat at the oncoming wave of griffins with crackling yellow flames. The leader went down with a screech, black feathers sizzling.

"TATSU MORPH!" Saesha body slammed another opponent with her full body weight.

'Where are these guys coming from?'

'**I don't know, but they've come at us before! Shell, I wish Keilah were here! She had a heck of an aim!'**

**(I've said it before and I'll say it again: I want Leo and his katanas!)**

Almost thirty minutes later, the entire mob of griffins had been dispatched and killed. Saesha and Iwansi sat back-to-back, panting hard.

'We should..' Saesha started, gulping air. 'Go back to the Lair now…'

'**No reason to stay.'**

The lavender dragon's eyes glowed for a brief second and she vanished, along with Iwansi, leaving the island as a mysterious slaughter ground for anyone who dared come investigate.

"TIQUAE!"

"Yes, Oroku?"

"You lied to me!"

Tiquae flicked a dust ball from his trench coat. "How so?"

"The turtles still live," he growled back, grinding his fists in the table. "And you have lost the trail of the dragons."

"The only thing _I _lost were those two idiots Keron and Nechai. Stupid morons didn't wake in time to escape that bomb. I must say," he grumbled, wrinkling his nose, "I wasn't entire prepared for such an improvisation against me." He inspected a fingernail. "I assure you, the turtles and the girl will not get out of that submarine alive. I had a hole drilled in it before it was taken." He grinned evilly inwardly. One of these days, he would—

"Master!" Hun burst in through the double doors in the back of the room. Tiquae rolled his eyes in disgust. He never could handle that muscle-bound, bumbling lout. "Master," he panted, catching his breath after running all the way to Saki's desk. "Have a look."

He proffered a newspaper to the fuming Utrom in disguise. Saki's eyes narrowed as he read part of the column circled. "What do you suppose this is, Tiquae?" He held out the piece of writing to the man with a look of pure malice on his face. Tiquae took it and fought to conceal his surprise.

Dead ebony griffins were strewn all over a tropical island, marring its natural beauty. Apparently a fisherman off the coast of another island mainland had seen a huge white bird fly off a smaller island and went to investigate. What he found was a bloody battleground full of dead griffins. The fisherman had quickly run back to his boat, sailed back to the mainland, and told the media. One photographer had taken a shot of a dead griffin's face, twisted by a forceful blow to the beak.

"Would you care to explain?"

"I know nothing of this event." No lie there; he'd never heard of any griffins being on Earth. What he did want to know was where the turtles were at the moment. He'd have to locate them with his computer when he got back to his lab.

Saki growled menacingly. "If I find that you have deceived me, the price will be your life."

Saki bristled and crushed the paper in his hand. "Whatever, Sir Saki Seething." Tiquae stalked out the doors, grinning maliciously to himself. Yes, one of these days, the Foot would be leaderless.

"Japan, Sensei?"

"Yes, Leonardo. Japan."

Yes, my son. We are going to Japan, Rijinn imitated, unabashed.

'AAHHH!'

(YEARGH!)

**(Whoa dudette! Watch your drivin'!)**

'**Watch out for that—' **_CRASH! _**'—urgh, Raph,' **Don groaned.

"Get the shell offa me, you guys weigh ten tons!" Raph grunted, heaving the two small dragons off his plastron.

(Who you callin' fat, tub of lard?) Iwansi hissed mockingly, jumping back onto his chest, eyes flashing.

"Back off, shrimp." A second later, Raph's face was black with soot.

Mikey rolled around the dream world laughing. **(Gah, she gotcha good, Raphael!) **he roared. Rijinn smacked him in the head with a large red paw as Raph wiped his red eyes, leaving a mask mark on his face where the soot had been removed.

Leatherhead came pounding out of Don's subway car and halted abruptly at the sight of two small dragons near Raph. "What has happened, Raphael?"

'I've yet to work on my teleportation skills.' Saesha blushed as Don nudged her teasingly with an elbow.

'**And your landings.'**

Leatherhead snatched Iwansi from Raph's chest, holding the cat-sized dragon so he could get a good look at it. "You dragons are queer creatures," he commented.

(Look who's—)

Mikey clapped a hand over her mind voice. **(Shut it, Iwansi.)**

"Where is Miss Keilah?" Splinter interjected curiously, standing in front of Saesha.

All four faces, two dragon and two turtle, fell. **(She…)**

'Well…'

"Yeah, where is she?" Raph asked, crossing his arms. Rijinn stayed silent, unusually thoughtful.

'**She left, Raph. Left because she got into a Blood Rage and nearly killed Mikey,' **Don finally explained quietly.

"You're kidding!" Raph's eyes widened in disbelief. Iwansi switched minds with Mikey and Leatherhead found himself hoisting a teenage mutant ninja turtle in the air instead of the dragon that'd been there before.

"No joke, dude. And I've got the scars to prove it," Mikey muttered, squirming out of the startled alligator's hands and limped to Raph's side. "This is the arrowhead that was in my chest." He held up the now shining diamond-like pointed rock.

"How'd she manage to get into a Blood Rage?" Leo asked. "She's not dragon."

'**Apparently, yes she is. Iwansi's been to…where was it?'**

(The Seventh Dimension of Null Time,) the little dragon muttered, combing her tuft of yellow fluff with her claws. (Met your buddies Renet and Lord Simultaneous there.)

'Yes. After having surgery twice, once to get the leg removed and once to get the cyborg leg installed, she saw a rather odd painting in the hallway.' Saesha took a breath, raising and scrunching her eye ridges in a most absurd manner. 'It was in a world called Haradris and apparently the ruler there is a tyrant who's tortured the inhabitants for nearly a millennium. In the painting was a large rainbow dragon named Rainbou and the blind elf on her back was Niracan. Legend in that world says Rainbou is the mother of all Haradrian dragons.'

Raph whistled. "So…what's that got to do with Keilah?"

(Ling Pi told us that she's the choice vessel for a reincarnation of a heroine dragoness warrior named Aireilei.)

The turtle staggered against Mikey in mock shock. "You're pullin' my leg."

'Why would we joke about such a serious matter?'

Leo's eyes wandered to Mike's and he started when his were met with yellow irises. "Mikey, you do know you have—"

Mike put a hand to his chest. "What, yellow eyes, ears, and a tail? Sure do, dude."

"Back to the subject of Keilah; how exactly did she shoot ya, Mikey?" Raph asked.

'**With her bow.'**

"She has a bow?" Raph asked incredulously.

"Duh. The arrowhead should've been proof," Mikey snorted, shifting his weight.

"Now, who exactly's doin' the reincarnatin' work in Keilah?"

'That's something we don't know yet. Whoever it is has a lot of nerve though,' Saesha remarked, rearing up and blinking.

Splinter tapped his stick commandingly and all conversation ceased. "My sons, we are running out of time. Kiyo awaits."

(Oh. Forgot about that wet blanket. Where to, Capitan?)

"Japan," Splinter said for the third time.

(Bloody claw. Should've known he'd be there.)


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: **Gee, how many times must it be said? I don't own 'em. TMNT I do not own. Do not I own the not TMNT…I'm getting mixed up. I don't own the TMNT.

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**31.**

WHOA! Three turtles and a medium-sized dragon tumbled out of thin air, racing toward the ground because of that annoying thing called gravity.

Mikey was the first to see the obstacle. "Saesha, watch your steering there's a—" BAM! "—boulder," he groaned, rubbing his head. "Man, what a landing! Right smack dab into a rock! Ouch."

The lavender dragon gave him an apologetic smile from atop Raph's chest. 'Sorry, Michelangelo. I'm still rusty.'

Raph shot her an exasperated glare. "Obviously," Raph grunted, pushing her off his plastron. "Dontcha come with a user's manual or somethin'?"

'Fraid not.

Raph felt several weak pushes lift him slightly off the ground. "Guys, I'm getting flattened down here!" Leo's yell came out muffled and nearly incoherent.

Raph grinned evilly. "What's that, Leon?" He feigned not being able to listen, cupping a hand around his twitching red ear.

Leo bellowed, "GET OFF ME!" and the turtle in red was flung sky-high into the air as his brother in blue emerged, huffing hard. Raph came down like a meteorite into a nearby stream with an outraged yell, his tail the last thing to disappear into the bubbling water.

'**Saesha, where are we?' **Don asked quietly.

She picked herself up and froze to her spot, the look on her face like she'd seen a ghost. 'No, I didn't want to go here…,' she whispered, eyes widening. The lavender dragon started backing up into the bamboo as Mike pointed his thumb at her and made the "crazy" sign with his index finger.

Iwansi sounded like she felt impending doom advancing on the small fellowship of dragons and mutants. (Uh-oh.)

Leo had to ask, "What?" Silence. Not a word from any of the three dragons. "Hey, I'm asking for an answer, guys!"

Rijinn sighed in an "I-really-don't-want-to-talk-about-it-but-if-I-must" way. Don, you've been here, before, haven't you?

Don sounded genuinely puzzled. **'I don't believe so.'**

Rijinn bobbed his head. Yes, you have. Remember when Saesha showed you those memories of Davianna?

Raph crawled out of the stream, shivering and coughing out dark mutters, wringing his bandanna out. **'Well, yeah.'**

(This is where it happened.)

Don turned pale. **'You're kidding.'**

Raph hopped up beside Leo, his teeth chattering like a clockwork monkey's cymbals, and smacked him in the shell. "I'm gonna go check that cave out," he declared rebelliously, pointing up the slope behind them.

"Were you even listening to what Saesha said?" Leo yelled after him. Raph rounded the boulder and started climbing a steep slope up to a cave.

Raph made an opening and closing motion with his mouth and it was two seconds before they heard an answer from him. "You're all a bunch of wimps," the other accused, throwing him a snort. Leo gave a frustrated sigh and began to follow. Mikey and Saesha exchanged indecipherable looks but trudged up behind Leo, sighing.

After about ten steps Mike began to get tired of the stifling silence. Conversation had always been a good outlet for his boredom. "So, uhm…you were born here?" he asked Saesha, who was padding soundlessly by his side.

She stopped, her eyes stone hard. 'Maybe. I can never remember being born anywhere.' The lavender dragon turned around to take in the semi familiar landscape behind. 'But this place was always so serene and calming. Almost like an Eden reborn. Over there,' she murmured, pointing with a claw toward a blackened clearing of small bamboo shoots, 'was where we went tadpole fishing. It was one of Iwansi's favorite things to do.'

(Along with frog squishing,) Iwansi added ruthlessly, pretending to stomp on the unfortunate amphibian. Mikey chuckled.

Don looked disturbed.** 'That's not very constructive.'**

(I doubt you could find anything better to do when samurais and ninjas were roaming the land, searching for your pelt,) Iwansi shot back at Don.

'**Reptiles don't have pelts, as far as I know,' **Don muttered, making a chopping motion with his hand and pretending to skin a dragon. Iwansi scowled. **'But I could check for you.'**

'And there,' the lavender dragon continued, moving her claw to a small series of falls near the base of the rise they were on, 'was where we'd take baths. Normally we all would pitch in to give Rijinn his. He hates baths with a passion.'

'**Not too unlike Raph in his early tot years.'**

Mikey scanned the dead forest of bamboo and came to rest on a large, approximately twenty foot-high outcropping of granite rock. "What's that?" he asked.

Saesha's eyes found the place with ease. 'The lookout.' The turtle shot her an amused glance. 'Hey, when we were dragonets, we didn't exactly know how to fly,' she defended sourly, fanning her wings in the breeze.

(Especially Bima.) Iwansi giggled uproariously. (You remember we all had to pitch in to get her scaly butt off the ground?) The yellow dragon sent Mike mental pictures of all four of them grunting, trying to hoist the largest dragonet into the air.

'Ah, but you forget what happened when she went fishing. She always came back with several fat ones, being able to breathe underwater; never missed.'

(Actually, when she was my size, she tried for a giant koi.) Both sisters started snorting with soft laughter. (She nearly got eaten by it!)

"MIKEY! You gotta see this!" Leo bellowed down the slope. Mike jumped.

Saesha's ears flattened in annoyance. 'Apparently he's found something,' she remarked softly, doing an about-face and galloping as fast as her relatively short legs could carry her, Mike following behind at a stately limp. The beacon of purple reptile disappeared through a hole in the hill not seven seconds later.

(Pick it up, Mike!) Iwansi gave him a picture of her on his shell, whipping him with a crop like a racehorse.

By the time the turtle in orange arrived at the lip of the cave, he was breathing as hard as a slug that'd just outran a helicopter. "This'd…better be worth…blowing my lungs out!"

Raph's red eyes pierced the dim lighting. "Getcha butt over here and come'n see this!" he barked.

Mike lashed his tail in annoyance and flattened his ears. "I'm comin', bro. Don't get your belt in a bunch." He skidded down a gently sloping floor of sculpted rock, flailing for a handhold whenever he slipped. Leo's hand steadied him when he got to the bottom and he got a glimpse of Saesha's back turned to them. "Somethin' the matter?"

Don requested a release and, with a flash, appeared in the dragon's place to stoop and pick something up. "Egg fragment!" he declared in surprise, straightening and holding the object in front of his amethyst eyes to study it.

"WHAT?" the others thundered in shock.

What are you smoking? Rijinn demanded somewhat scorchingly in tone.

Don turned around, holding a yellow shard. "It's a piece of Iwansi's egg!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Mike's ears drooped. "So you guys—"

'Hatched in Japan, I know.'

(But that's not possible! I thought for sure we were Haradrian!)

Come again?

"No, that doesn't mean you're _not _Haradrian. We already know you're not Japanese; you just don't fit the bill. Perhaps," Don analyzed, "you got transported here by means of inter-dimensional technology or magic while still in your eggs!" All the others stared at him. Mike had a look of stupefied confusion on his face and Leo looked severely disturbed.

"In English, Don?" Raph muttered, scratching his head.

"That _was _English!"

Whaddya mean we're Haradrian? And where the bloody claw is Haradris? Rijinn asked, puffing black smoke.

(I have a theory—)

"Y'ever wonder where he gets those theories?" Mike asked Raph with a nudge of the elbow. The turtle in red rolled his eyes and sighed in the "I-can't-believe-I'm-related-to-this-guy" way.

"You've been around the Professor and his homeless buddies too long, Mike," Leo mumbled as the offending turtle started chuckling.

Iwansi shot her carrier a glare. (Continuing, I think we're the first descendants of Rainbou.)

Who's she?

(The mother of the first Haradrian dragons, doofus! For the love of my claw, you're thickheaded as a rock!) Rijinn began blowing flaming smoke out his nostrils and tackled his sister, growling.

"What's the significance of Iwansi's egg shard, Don?" Leo asked his elated techno brother.

"I can scan it to see if they're really from here or not."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah! By seeing the contents of this egg shard, I can create an inter-dimensional portal between worlds!"

Leo's jaw dropped. "We can go to their world?"

Don nodded professionally. "If I have enough time and resources, quite possibly, Leo."

Mikey noticed their light source outside was beginning to fade. "What the shell?"

Raph rushed up the incline and grunted a brief, "Oh crud."

Don stuffed the shard into a pouch on his belt and scrambled up beside his brother. "What's happening?"

"Don, what time's it?"

"Uh, ten-thirty in the morning. Why?"

"Crud," Raph repeated fervently. "It's already getting dark as night."

Leo gritted his teeth. "This is what happened back home!"

"I don't like this," Don muttered, sliding down the gravelly hill outside. "We'd better find Kiyo quick or there's gonna be trouble. Tatsu morph!" Saesha once again took the wheel.

"Aw, not again," Mikey groaned.

'Everybody touch a part of me or you'll be left behind!' the lavender dragon ordered. Once all the turtles had been attached, her eyes began glowing and they disappeared soundlessly.

They reappeared over a fast-flowing, blue-green river. "Oh shell!" Raph cursed, being the first to plummet toward the rushing water. With a sigh, Saesha's eyes once again started glowing and the turtles were stopped in their quick descent toward the river. Leo uncovered his eyes fearfully and found that he was frozen floating two feet away from plunging butt-first into the dark water.

Mikey made a dramatic show of wiping his forehead and exhaling loudly. "Thank you telekinesis!" She whisked them to the bank and let go of them, dropping Mikey face first in the mud. A muffled, "Not cool! NOT cool!" erupted from his half-submerged head. His tail whipped around as he removed it from the river mud with a sucking pop.

'Kiyo should be right through there,' Saesha directed, landing next to Raph.

"Where?" the turtle asked.

The lavender dragon sat down and pointed to the barely discernable-in-the-dark middle of a roaring set of waterfalls almost fifty feet away. 'Through the waterfall.'

"_Through _it?" Raph asked incredulously.

I can help with that, Rijinn volunteered. I'm big enough to fly into the cave and back again with a passenger.

His carrier grinned. "So what you're saying is that you're fat."

What – NO!

Raph smirked and started walking with an extra swagger toward the rumbling sheet of water. "I can get through on my own." The others watched him arrive at the base of the cliff where the water cascaded down from and grab at a handhold in the rock. It broke and he shot the chuckling reptiles behind him a venomous glare. Biting his tongue, he jumped for the next and wrapped his tail around a pyre of the rock near the waterfall. Using ninja quickness, he leapt up ten feet and grabbed another handhold, scrambling for purchase with his feet.

"Maybe he'll make it," Mike whispered to Saesha, who had a look of pure disgust on her face.

'And if he falls, I'll give him five seconds of swim time before I get him out.' Saesha snarled and began spouting smoke, a sure sign of a ticked off dragon. Mikey inched away from her, his yellow eyes filled with the look of "she's-gonna-bite-my-leg-off".

Leo watched Raph disappear behind the first waterfall. Hey, it's real slippery back here so – Rijinn's advice broke on his mind before they saw Raph come up for air in the middle of the river, yelling angrily at full lung capacity. True to her word, Saesha waited until he was nearly out of sight before lifting the dripping turtle out and setting him in the mud with a growl of displeasure.

'Thought the better of it, Mr. I-can-do-everything?' she asked as he ground out soft curses. Leo shot him a reproving look.

All he said was "Tatsu morph" and there stood Rijinn, yawning and stretching. Who's first? he inquired, blinking his red eyes.

Mikey reluctantly raised his hand. "I guess I'll go."

Rijinn puffed some smoke. Well, hop to it, we don't have all day! Mike took it literally and kangaroo-hopped to the red dragon's right side, smiling innocently to reply to Rijinn's look of utter exasperation. He scrambled onto the dragon's relatively wide back and squeaked when he took to the air. You're gonna hate it when Iwansi flies.

(What's that supposed to mean, ketchup boy?) Iwansi snarled as Rijinn shot toward the middle fall. If Mikey' hadn't had dragon eyes, he would've been blind as a bat in this almost pitch-black darkness. The waterfalls barely stood out even with his enhanced sight. He squealed and wrapped his arms around Rijinn's neck as he parted the waterfall and dropped him off into a dark cave with a snort.

Almost ten minutes later, each turtle was in the dark secluded cave behind the middle waterfall, shivering and spitting water. "I swear, I'll never consent to that again!" Leo sputtered.

Rijinn shot him a glare. I bet you would've liked walking along a slippery ridge only to fall into water, huh?

/Rijinn?/

Yeah, Tucket, it's me.

Leo felt a warm smile penetrate his consciousness. /Thank goodness! I thought for sure you'd forgotten all about me!/

Rijinn rolled his eyes. I wish. Saesha smacked him on the rump with her paw and he gave a sharp yelp.

"Where are you?" Leo inquired softly, looking back and forth but finding no sign of a Japanese tablet.

/Above you, kiddo./

(Kiddo? That's soo out of date, Tucket.)

The green dragon frowned. /Will you please stop calling me that? It's a wonder Bima hasn't – Wait, where is she?/ Kiyo asked, sounding genuinely troubled.

**I dunno and frankly, I don't care,** Raph muttered sourly, crossing his arms.

Aw, you know you loved being wrestled with and insulted.

Leo raised his gaze to directly above his head and sure enough, there the radioactively glowing tablet was, safely snuggled in between two stalactites. "Good news is, Tiquae hasn't shown yet."

**Don't jinx it, Leo!**

"Rijinn, could you come over here?" Ignored. "Rijinn!" Leo snapped his fingers underneath the dragon's nose and was rewarded with a puff of smoke in the face.

(Oh yeah. Blacken his eyes so he can't see what the bloody claw he's looking for. Good one.)

/I hate it when they quarrel,/ Kiyo confided to Leo. (A/N: Hey, that rhymes!)

"You don't have to live with three other brothers."

/On the contrary, I do have three sisters _and_ a brother./

"Ah. I get your point." Rijinn finally grumbled exasperatedly and stumped under the tablet, smoke streaming from his distended nostrils. "Thanks." Leo clambered onto his back, standing right between his wings. Then Rijinn began giggling.

Oooh, be careful, that tickles!

/He's faking it,/ Kiyo stated bluntly. Leo shook his head and reached for the glowing calligraphy, placing his hand on it.

"Would it work to just say dragon absorb?" Obviously yes, because Leo immediately felt an overpowering pull began on his mind and it seemed like Kiyo was coming through a sort of wormhole. He squeezed through and Leo fell off the dragon's back onto his carapace, gasping hard.

Rijinn allowed Raph to take his place and retreated to the back of the turtle's consciousness, yawning fit to burst. "Welcome to the most torturous time of your life," he grunted to Leo, yanking him to his feet.

/You only have it bad because you got stuck with ol' Tomato,/ Kiyo told Raph somewhat smugly.

"Let's get out of here before that dude with serious issues gets here," Mike whispered to Saesha, who nodded.

Something near the entrance to the cave flashed and Mikey had just enough time to yelp before being struck by a glowing object and hurled into the back of the cave and smashed into the wall. "WHAT THE SHELL?" Raph roared, dodging one of them and tackling Leo to the floor to avoid another. Saesha snarled and began galloping toward the cascade of water to condemn the attacker to a fiery fate but received a glowing thing herself, landing beside Mike and puffing hard, her eyes closed in intense concentration.

"It's him!" Raph bellowed, leaping to his feet and pulling out his Sais, charging for the "it's him" guy. He ended up getting thrown hard into the wall.

Leo gritted his teeth. His only guess to who the culprit was – something stuck to his shell and he found himself in the dream world, fighting to keep a hold on Kiyo's paws as a hurricane gale swept around. The leading turtle felt Mike weakening as Iwansi slipped slowly from his grasp. As soon as the yellow dragon had been disconnected, Mikey's consciousness blackened. _"What's happening?"_

Kiyo whipped his long tail around and wrapped it around Leo's waist. _/I've no idea, but it appears we're all being separated from you turtles! Iwansi's been captured, as has Saesha. Rijinn's holding on for dear life and I, for one, refuse to let go!/_

Leo smiled grimly and moved his grip up Kiyo's arms until his hands rested on the dragon's elbows. The thing he'd always liked about a good friend was their sheer determination to never let a foe win. Raph's mental link with Leo waned a bit. _"Raph's losing steam!"_

_/There's nothing we can do about it!/ _Kiyo cried as another wind attempted to cruelly wrench the dragon from Leo's hold. _/Just keep holding on!/_

No more than ten seconds passed before the person on the other end of the pulling apparently grew tired of this game and positioned the wind so it was filling Kiyo's outstretched wings. _"Oh SHELL he's getting smarter!" _Leo exclaimed, feeling his injured arm begin to throb. _"This guy's making my arm smart like crazy!"_

_/Don't focus on pain! Focus on keeping your grip!/ _The wind began pulling Kiyo's unfurled wings away from Leo.

Leo got an idea and shouted,_ "Furl those wings! It's what he's using to pull you!"_

Kiyo looked like he was attempting to do just that but they were frozen in place. _/I'm sorry, Leonardo, but they won't budge!/_

Agony began racking his arm and he saw blood seeping through the bandage. _"He must be stabbing my physical arm to make it hurt!" _He figured that the attacker saw it as the only way to distract him from Kiyo.

_/You're slipping!/ _Kiyo's tail unwrapped Leo's waist and the lost support sent him careening out of control in the wind. Now Leo's only link to consciousness was his grip on the dragon's tail.

"_Hold on!"_

Kiyo seemed to have lost hope, but the fire in his eyes flared briefly. _/We'll meet again, Leo, trust me on it./_

One final gust and Kiyo was gone. _"KIYO! NO!" _Leo's mind was consumed by blackness as unconsciousness overtook his exhausted body. He vaguely felt a sharp pain in his right side before a cold roaring filled his ears and he knew no more.


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: **Gosh, I DON'T OWN THE TMNT! (goes to sulk in a corner) Just leave me alone…(sniff)

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**32.**

Don vaguely heard a watery roaring in his ears. His head hurt like mad and he couldn't breathe. The lack of oxygen must've affected his thinking, because he had thoughts of yellow marsh mellow Peeps being chased by a giant white frog. _I think I'd like one of those right now_, he thought dreamily.

The groggy and nearly unconscious turtle suddenly heard a muffled "There's another one!" and felt his tail being clamped onto by sharp claws.

The pain cleared some of the absolutely ridiculous visions dancing in his mind and cool air entered his lungs as he was hoisted clear of the river, coughing like there was no tomorrow. "Gee whiz, he looks like a ball of dandruff from here!" a female voice commented from the right.

Don was gently deposited on the banks of the river. "You don't look much better. I think I liked it more when you were tabletized," his rescuer said with a scowl that couldn't be seen but was definitely felt. He blinked. His mind was still a bit fuzzy. Why was he floating in a river? And why was it so dark? And oh, those Peeps looked delicious…

It came back in a whirl. Saesha, Kiyo, Rijinn, Iwansi, they were all gone! "Saesha!" He sat bolt upright and attempted to stand, growling dark promises that he would skin Tiquae alive if he ever got the chance.

A blurry form tackled him and pinned him down again, holding his arms with large powerful paws. "You're hardly in shape for that, Donnie," she scolded, peering down at him with sapphire blue eyes.

Blue eyes? That's impossible. "…Bima?" he asked hesitantly.

"Who'da thunk it, eh?" Without saying a word, Don smiled up at her. "Hey, quit that, you're making me blush," she grumbled with embarrassment, releasing him. That was a hearty mistake. The turtle leapt up and squeezed her around the neck. "Choking…not breathing…" the dragon gasped, prying him off.

"...How are you—"

Bima clapped a paw over his wide-open mouth and shushed him. "Okay, remember I went looking for Keilah after we found out she was possessed-by-dragon material?" Don nodded. "She's not. She's the actual thing. Ling Pi was being an absolute 'I-don't-know-it-all' when he told us that. Her name's actually Aireilei and she's been in hiding on Earth for as long as I've been alive."

Don whistled as she removed her paw. "So Keilah never really existed?"

"That is correct."

"And how are you physical?"

"Apparently Ling Pi's spell specified that a dragon can't house another dragon's spirit."

Silence. "Um, Bima?"

"Shoot."

"Why is it so dark? I can't think of any eclipses scheduled for this month…"

"Well, it's the day before New Year's Eve, right?" Nod. "You remember Saesha telling you about power outbursts tomorrow night?" Another affirmative. "The power we get is sometimes drained from the very sun itself, so the moon has to heat up a tad to keep the inhabitants alive. The only thing standing in the way of that power outburst is me."

Now confusion. "Come again?" Don asked, uncertain of what he'd just learned.

"You're a bonehead in itself, aren't you?" Don shot her an indignant glare. "Unless Tiquae can get me along with all my siblings, he'll be Mister Wimp on New Year's. The outburst doesn't happen if all five of us aren't gathered in a one-mile radius. Power is a weird thing. But anyway, when the power bursts, it's gotta have somewhere to stay. It's not like an atomic bomb or something that just goes BOOOM like that and destroys the whole bloody world." The boom was emphasized with a sudden puff of fiery smoke that lit up Bima's eyes for a split second. "It has to be connected somehow with a living thing, has to have somewhere to go. In this instance, a human body. But Tiquae's not an idiot; he put Shredder out of the picture before coming here and dragon napping all my sibs. That was so Shred-head wouldn't get the power for himself."

Don couldn't believe his purple ears. "He killed that Utrom?" he asked in shock. The Shredder had a reputation for not biting the dust no matter how many times he was 'killed'.

Bima nodded solemnly. "Saw him do it with my own eyes. That's how we knew he was coming here to get you guys in a pickle. As it is, we arrived too late and Aireilei's still looking for Raphael. Seems to have gotten away from our senses somehow."

The turtle had a cold feeling deep inside his gut. "If Tiquae had a hostage, he could make sure…" he began, but didn't continue for fear he'd toss his cookies.

The dragon's eyes narrowed. "I hope not, Donatello. That turtle was my insult partner." Don burst out laughing, despite the circumstances.

There was a frustrated sigh as a dark white form landed heavily on the bank not ten feet away. "I can't find him Bima…" she panted, laying a duo of sopping wet unconscious turtles on the mud.

Bima hissed a fervent curse before waddling to Mikey and biting his tail gently. "YEOW!" The turtle's yellow eyes snapped open and tears of pain ran down his cheeks.

"Oh, please, I didn't bite that hard!" Bima snorted and sat down.

The white dragon shot Bima a glare from her spread-eagled position in the mud. "Knock it off," she growled wearily.

Leo started coughing up water by the gallons as Don and Aireilei watched Mike squeeze the living daylights out of Bima. "Kiyo!" Leo sputtered, scrambling to his feet only to collapse again.

"Don't worry about a thing, Leo, we'll get him back," Aireilei promised quietly. "But right now, we have to worry about Raphael. I'm afraid Tiquae may be holding him hostage to discourage any attempts to stop his quest for power."

Leo's eyes flashed dangerously. "Have you searched up and down river?"

Her long ears flattened against her skull. "Yes."

"Shell."

Aireilei got up. "There's only one place Tiquae could be and that's, unfortunately, New York City itself."

"Shell!"

Don shook his head. "We don't have Saesha with us so it'll take even longer to get home." Leo ground out a worse curse, much to all of their surprise. "I thought you despised vulgar language, Leo."

"At the time, Don, it seems only logical," Leo muttered angrily, whipping out a katana and slicing an unfortunate piece of bamboo in half.

Mike stared at his throbbing tail with a grimace. "Guys, we need to get a move on if we're gonna save Raph and the other dragons, right?" Aireilei sat up.

Bima rolled her eyes. "Duh. Boy, aren't you bright tonight?"

Mikey grinned. "Seems I'm the only thing that is because the moon's not out." The dragon growled menacingly and stalked to the riverbank to sulk.

Aireilei watched her for a second and then sighed. "He's right," she muttered, jabbing a thumb at the smug turtle.

Apparently Mikey hadn't noticed the white dragon before and jumped. "Who the shell are you?" Aireilei gave Leo a mournful look that plainly said 'no more long introductions'. "I'm waiting, Ms. White Marsh Mellow."

Leo grunted. "Don't ask me. Ask Don. He's the one who's been talking with Bima this whole time."

Don shot him an exasperated glance. "Leo!" Nothing doing. Complaining wouldn't help. "Alright fine! That's Keilah."

Mike gave Aireilei a disbelieving gaze. "Really?" The white dragon showed him her bow as proof. Mikey's face suddenly lit up like wildfire and he tackled Aireilei with an overjoyed whoop. Then he withdrew, staggering. "Aw man, you have a hard chest, girl!"

Aireilei rolled her eyes and put her bow between her large wings. "They're scales, Michelangelo."

"I still say they're rock hard! No, I take it back. They're _diamond _hard!"

"I suppose that's correct, since nothing in all of blinking Haradris can break through."

Don had a thought. "Wait, all the Haradrian dragons walk on four legs, right?" He took a moment to observe her in the darkness. Her long tail was whip-like and probably could break rock. Her wings were the same size as when they'd seen her as Keilah. Aireilei still had those periwinkle eyes set in a fairly long muzzle and large eye ridges. Her horns were twice as long as when she was half human and her large head swayed on a foot-long sinuous neck. Her belly and chest were armored with large golden scales each the size of Don's hand. The dragon herself was well over five and a half feet tall. And she had those long white ears flicking back and forth on the top of her skull.

"Yes."

"Then how are you like that?"

Aireilei looked herself over critically. "What, you mean standing on two legs?" Nod. "Would you believe it was mutagen?" She received stares for her attempted joke. "Okay, I give. A Rukit—"

"What's a Rukit?" Mike piped up.

"I'd tell you, but somebody keeps interrupting!"

"Oh. Sorry."

She huffed. "A Rukit is one of the Haradrian inhabitants. They're really quite friendly and some of them have special talents with magic. They look sort of like a wolf except that they stand on their hind legs and are able to master speech. Now," she continued, shooting Mike a glare. "A Rukit highly skilled in the arts of mutation magic, although it probably was the only one in Haradris, because most who try to master that type of magic usually get deep-sixed because they can't handle the energy it takes."

Don made a face. "I don't like magic. It's too hard to wrap my brain around."

Aireilei snorted. "I can see why! This planet is so boring!"

"Get on with it."

"Okay, now you know what a Rukit is. I was minding my own business as a dragonet, waddling along beside Rainbou—"

"She was your mother?"

"Well, yeah! All Haradrian dragons were born from her! Anyway, I was waddling—" Mike sniggered. "—and something caught my mother's eye. She apologized for having to leave and flew off toward an elf settlement nestled in the Hrain mountains. Strange creatures, those elves. Never liked them. Well, here I was, bawling my eyes out because I was hungry and scared." Leo chuckled apprehensively. "You'd be scared stiff too if you were in the Wompag forest! The wild Rocs are huge!" the white dragon cried indignantly. "Minding my own business. A pack of Rukit came along and decided I was pretty darn cute. One of them wanted to keep me but the rest were shouting at her like she was insane. Thought I would eat them I guess. The one scolded them and it turns out that she was the mutation magic master. She decided that if they wouldn't let her keep me as a savage dragon, she'd turn me into an elven dragon."

"Mutating hurts. I know from personal experience."

Aireilei made a face. "Dear me, it hurt like being stabbed with a thousand Oljis thorns!"

Mike snickered. "I won't even ask," he giggled, holding his sides.

"Well, by the time she'd finished mutating me, all the other Rukits had left for fear that my mother would come back and murder for what the female had done to me. I have reason to believe that I must've looked quite silly, just sitting there and wincing. I was about the size of your torso. But I'll have you know, dragon toddlers are definitely no fun to take care of. Meat every day. Poor girl was out at least three hours of twenty-six a day."

Don whistled. "Wow. You Haradrians have a lot more time each day than we do."

Aireilei continued with her narration. "Eventually Rainbou found me. Scared the Rukit to death." She grinned somewhat apologetically. "Mom just pulled a dragon laugh and assured her gently that she would not harm her. I ran to my mother with all the grace of a rock, tumbling and rolling. Mom just picked me up and put me on her back beside an elf. I got scared. That elf was certainly creepier than anything I've ever encountered. She placed her pale hand on mine and whispered a few words in ancient Haradrian. I felt something flare within me and it vanished. Turns out the elf was Mom's best friend Niracan. Blind but friendly. So I grew up without incident.

Then the King saw me one day and called out to me. I had been hunting so I was in no position to converse. Besides, he was a crossbred elf. Nice guy, I'll admit. He was a bit on the paunchy side and he was bearded. And the funny part is, he had been crossbred with a Rukit, so he had a big bushy tail. I sort of yelped and ran off. He followed me though, the determined fellow. Ohohoh, but then he met the mom. I do seem to remember a sort of shocked look come into his eyes. He apologized and Mom told him it was accepted. He straightened and sort of held his hand out. I snorted a bit and told him he could quit treating me like an animal. _That_ surprised him. He asked my mom if he could train me in weaponry. She smiled and nodded in amusement. The King just grinned and bowed to me. Asked me which I'd like to learn first. Something inside me screamed 'The bow! The bow!'. So I said the bow. Oh, that made him beam. I could tell the guy was an adept at teaching bow and arrow.

He taught me how to pull the string and on the first shot, I got a bull's eye. He just gaped and I shrugged. Apparently that's what Niracan blessed me with: bow and arrow. I became a knight in no time but during those days, there wasn't much to fight against. We were peaceful folk on that planet and the other knights never made fun of me for my looks because I could outshoot them all, fly, use magic such as breathing underwater, mastery over fire, invisibility, telekinesis, wind, and light my own arrows on fire with a breath. I was an asset and they knew it."

Then Aireilei's face became stone cold and hatred filled. "But then, three years after my rise to knighthood, that…that son of a swamp slug came." Don found himself feeling an overpowering thankfulness for not being her enemy. "It was a clear morning, not a cloud in the sky. I remember seeing a black spot in the sun which soon became an endless throng of black griffins. I was scared, but I strung my trusty bow, aimed, and fired at the lead griffin. It went down shrieking and I kept firing. I tried alert the rest of the knights through mind conversing but they…they'd all been killed by a sneak attack." The white dragon's shoulders trembled. "It was then I realized that like it or not, I had to do my best in protecting my King. Something snapped as the griffins arrived and I put my bow between my wings and started flying, shooting flames in random directions. I finally got so out of control that I used what is now Rijinn's ability and incinerated an entire regiment of griffins. Well, the smart thing to do would've been to cloak myself with invisibility but I was in a Blood Rage, something that even I cannot get out of. My mother broke through the Rage gently, telling me that my task was to protect Fridarus, the King. She was right and streaming smoke, I dived back into the castle,. Some of the griffins' riders came after me but I blew them back with my wind magic and broke into the main chamber of the throne room just in time to see the King get brutally murdered by the sword.

I will freely admit that I went insane over that. Enemy blood soon coated the castle stones along with their bodies and ashes plagued the skies. It wasn't long before the son of a swamp slug in the sky realized that his plan was being foiled but by whom he knew not. So the pipsqueak decided to see for himself who it was. He landed his griffin to find me in the armory, blood dripped from my claws and mouth, my eyes bright red. But somehow, he had the courage to smirk. I roared and threw swords and spears at him with the strength of twenty elves, as the weapons went punching through the six feet thick walls and they kept going to impale several of his ranks. I could see a flash of doubt in his eyes as I charged at him. But then this jewel in his hand flashed and I got thrown back into the racks of weaponry. They collapsed on me and he muttered gleefully that he would take this pitiful world without fight. That enraged me further and I burst out of the wreckage, slamming him into the wall and demanding that he give one good reason why I shouldn't just rip his fool head off. He grinned maliciously and I was pinned to the floor by that accursed jewel's power.

It was then that I stopped raging and lay there as the adrenaline wore off. It hurt. I was throbbing all over and I could see some bloody holes in my wings where arrows had pierced but I didn't notice. He advanced on me, crowing that once this world was conquered, he would breed dragons and take over more planets than ever before – starting with me! He planned on extracting my DNA and mating me to the emerged male. I squirmed and gnashed my teeth like you wouldn't believe, grinding out curses. He commented that I was really quite feisty and would make a good mate for his new dragons. Then he did something that completely went overboard. He stroked my cheek and cooed tauntingly. Smoke roiled from my nostrils but he didn't care. He had me helpless and he knew it. He _flaunted _it freely.

But then my mother heard his plans. She was angry. You've never seen a full-grown, Haradrian, mother dragon get angry, so it's hard for you turtles to understand. But she arrived, throwing rainbow light in every direction, giving the rest of the fighting denizens hope. And on her back was Niracan. Rainbou ripped off the armory roof with an ear-piercing roar, swatting him aside. Niracan held out her hand and nullified the Jewel's magic, letting me up. But when we turned around to finish him, he was gone. Mother decided to make the best of the situation and grabbed me in her paws, flapping away to our hidden cave. As it was, she had a brood of five eggs in the cave, which hatched to be Bima, Iwansi, Rijinn, Saesha, and Kiyo. They do have Haradrian names but I think it best not to tell you. They'll get confused.

Niracan was full of wisdom, let me tell you. She informed Mother that he would not stop until he got at least one dragon in his grasp. We had to make the eggs leave to a safe place. She suggested Earth, knowing it was a primal planet and it didn't have anything to threaten Mother's dragonets. They began conversing behind my back and they finally agreed to open a portal to that strange planet. Niracan and Mother did it rather quickly, nudging the eggs in one by one. Then the elf started a chant of some sort and I felt my magic being drained from me. Niracan told me that each individual dragon would have one of my magic abilities. Then she zapped me and I found that I had changed into a pale pink thing and I was _naked_! Oh, it was exceedingly embarrassing, as I was eighteen at the time. Niracan told me that once I was on the other side of the portal, I would forget I ever was a dragon. But I could tell she was harboring some sort of secret that I didn't know about. Turns out that I recovered my dragon parts as each dragon was released from those tablets.

Mother was sad that I had to leave but she knew it was for the best. Crying quietly, she pushed me through and that's all I remembered before arriving in Japan with the dragon eggs."

Don was silent for a time. The whole narration had taken almost twenty minutes to finish because of frequent pauses from Aireilei. He finally whispered, "Well, I don't know what to say…"

Leo sniffled. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Mike looked like he'd been weeping. He said nothing but he just grabbed Aireilei in a fierce hug, his tail scrunching up. "We'll be your family."

Bima got back from sulking. "What'd I miss?" she inquired cheerily, completely missing the looks on the turtles' faces.

Aireilei sighed and patted Mike's head. "The novel on Haradrian history."

"Oh."

"I think that was a bit longer than telling us about how you walk on two legs," Don murmured.

Aireilei smiled sadly. "It had to be known somehow."

Leo stood up with a grunt. "We'd better get back to the task at hand. We need to find Raph."

"Leo, the chances of him being held hostage are very high."

"Could you please look one more time?"

She sighed and pried Mikey off her waist. "I'll try."

Don held up his index finger. "Hold on. Who's Yulakai?"

Aireilei stopped stock-still and stared at him. "Where did you hear that?" she demanded.

"Well, you sort of screamed it after you shot that first griffin on the island."

"I, um…"

"Do tell."

"Well, he's, ah…he's my father."

"There was a male dragon besides Rainbou?!"

"I never saw him," she defended. "He left to go to the southern end of Haradris before I hatched."

"Oh sure. And another thing: how did that griffin find you?"

Aireilei gritted her teeth in hatred. "_He _must've found my inter-dimensional signature and followed it."

Mikey asked, "Who's the guy who almost…uh, y'knowed you?"

"That would be Xetyphaes."

"And how big is he?"

The white dragon smiled a little. "This big." She raised her hand and stopped its ascent about three and a half feet from the ground. Leo began chuckling uncontrollably. "Don't be fooled, guys, he beat me."

"True." Aireilei took off and disappeared down river. "Think she can find him, Don?"

"I don't _think_ so Mike; I _think_ Raph's been turtle-napped," Don replied grimly, rubbing his forehead.

Raph felt like he'd been hit by a freight train carrying ten tons of bricks seven times in a row. His head throbbed uncontrollably and his limbs refused to move. He moaned and gritted his teeth. What just happened? And where were his brothers? He couldn't hear or see them anywhere. Scratch that, he couldn't see at all. Something was blocking his vision. And his sense of balance told him he was flat on his shell.

I think he's coming to.

(And that helps us how?)

'Shush, guys. We've had enough trouble already.'

)Did I cause this?(

'No, Kiyo, you didn't. We all did.'

"Where the shell am I?" Raph groaned.

Somebody chuckled. "A very bad place, Raphael."

"Oh sure, you take _me _hostage, you snot-nosed, little—" he began snarling.

The turtle felt a shock run through his body. And it _hurt_! "Watch your tongue." A hand ripped off his blindfold and he saw Tiquae smiling smugly in the dim lighting. "Now tell me where the last one is."

"What last one?" Raph spat venomously, wrenching at his restraints.

"Don't play stupid. Where is that last dragon?"

"I don't _know_!"

"Wrong answer." Tiquae pressed a button and a stronger shock bit his nerves. "Tell me. Now."

"I already told you I've got no idea!"

The man put down his button and stalked up to the turtle, sneering. "If you won't tell me, I suppose I'll have to broadcast your situation to your pathetic brothers. They'll tell me where that dragon is and when I find her, I'll destroy you menaces and take over the world."

You watch it! Rijinn growled menacingly.

"You are in no position to threaten, Rijinn."

You know very well that if I weren't in this stupid container ball I'd rip you limb from limb!

"Oh, does it bother you if I hurt your dear Raphie?" he asked sweetly, mashing the shock button. Raph felt light headed the moment the electricity connected.

'Shut up, Rijinn, you'll hurt him further!' Saesha snapped suddenly.

"Touchy, aren't we?"

Raph summoned up all the strength he could muster. "Weren't you working for Shredder?"

Tiquae waved his hand absently. "Deep-sixed him a long time ago."

"You _killed _him?!"

(Everybody knows that's virtually impossible!)

"Nothing is impossible, Iwansi." The man swaggered over to a brightly-lit machine that had four glowing balls sitting in small indents. There was a fifth but it was empty. Meant for Bima. Raph knew he was in deep trouble and though he was never one to be afraid, tentacles of doubt crawled into his mind. _I'll just have to keep up the tough act and—_ He never finished. Tiquae darted him with tranquilizer.


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: **You know what I'm about to say. And though I cry in self-pity, I don't own the TMNT.

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**33.**

Leo's attitude had changed from royally steamed to mother hen worried. Aireilei brought a negative report on Raph's location. The reptiles' worst fears had been confirmed; they'd have to fight Tiquae whether they liked it or not. They didn't have a choice now that Raph was involved. Speaking of which, why was Raph always the one to get nabbed? Because of his quick and insulting tongue? Did villains simply pick on him for revenge?

A jolt in Aireilei's flight pattern knocked his train of thinking off the track. "Hang on, we're going through some thermals!" she reported, tightening her grip on his waist. Leo stared down at the invisible dark waves he couldn't see but he knew they were there. At the moment, Aireilei was flying as fast as she could. It wouldn't do to have somebody see them. They would have to make it in one day. Surely a feat to be proud of, but something near impossible to do. The plan was to fly over the Pacific Ocean, cut through Panama, and fly up to Manhattan. Impossible was Leo's first thought.

Bima appeared next to Aireilei, her wings beating steadily. "We're halfway there, girls!" she yelled. Don, in Aireilei's other paw, rolled his drooping eyes at her jibe.

If he weren't holding onto Bima's neck for dear life, Mike would've clapped. "Nicely done," he commended. Leo shot him a sour glare.

"You're both acting asinine," Don muttered, sleepily rubbing his amethyst eyes.

Mike cocked his head, a true trick for the position he was currently in. "What's that?"

"Being utterly stupid. Other then that, I don't think you want to know." Don's voice held a smugness in it that Leo couldn't, for the life of him, identify.

The air flying past them began tearing at their bandannas even more fiercely than before. "I'm increasing my speed! You'd better hope you don't fall out!" Aireilei lowered her head, flattening her ears to offer less wind resistance.

Leo suddenly felt an ache building in his rear. He hadn't been sitting at all for the past two hours! What in shell was hurting so much? Something was dragging at his hind parts and he couldn't figure out what. Twisting around, he got the surprise of his life. Flapping in the wind was a long, thin green tail, adorned on the end solely by a bone-ribbed fan. As he turned back around to face the wind, a cold feeling of dread built up in his gut. This would mean torment from his brothers for sure. Ah yes. The leader with a fan on his tail. Leo the Fan-tailed Turtle Ninja. What a title.

He sighed, and if there were a flat surface for him to prop his elbow upon and rest his chin on it, by golly he'd do it! Random throbs dully resonated from his arm; the one Tiquae had stabbed in order to faze his concentration. He'd definitely have to have Don get a look at it.

It was so dark out here. He couldn't understand how either of the dragons could see in such weather! "Where are we?" he asked no one in particular.

"We've just passed the Hawaiian Islands," Bima replied, swerving in flight to miss a drowsy seagull. The poor bird squawked in surprise before sending a few scolds back at the fast-disappearing dragon that had nearly 'windshielded' it.

"Really? I didn't know you moved that fast!"

Bima smirked. "We're dragons, silly!" A malicious grin replaced the smirk, her eyes, flashing to Leo's behind. "And don't think your fan tail has escaped my notice, Leo." He felt a hot blush building up in his cheeks and had to look away while Mike laughed at his expense.

"Give it a rest, guys," Don grunted. "He's gone through enough torment already."

Leo felt shocked at his brother's defensive verbal maneuver. "Uh, thanks Don," he murmured awkwardly.

"Hold up!" Aireilei commanded, halting. "Leo and Don, your weapons are giving me welts! Bima, I'll trade you Don for Mikey," she offered, holding the indignant turtle towards the dragon.

"Sure, but I'll warn you, Mikey's fat!" Bima arched her long neck and grabbed Mike's belt deftly in her teeth, hoisting him off her back. The turtle squealed before Aireilei threw Don onto Bima's back and caught Mike in the air.

"Leo, you're going on my back. Those swords are killer!"

"They're sheathed," he protested. The hovering dragon ignored his discomfort and let his scramble between her wings.

"Alright, no choking the transportation with your panicked grip, got it?"

Leo nodded sourly. "I'm fifteen Aireilei."

"And I'm one thousand and three years older than you are." That shut him up in a tizzy. "Hold on and don't fall off!" They started shooting forward again and this time Leo felt more wind tearing at him than before. For reassurance, he attempted to maneuver his new tail around and wrap it around Aireilei's armored waist but it wouldn't respond. _Typical. _

His eyelids began to droop like leaden weights. And he knew quite well what would happen if he were to be seduced into sleeping: He'd be in danger of falling right off the dragon's back. He needed more support. In a spurt of weary frustration, he jerked his tail around Aireilei's waist. Shock resonated from her for a second until she realized it as a limb from her passenger. Reassured, Leo let his eyes close and slid into the absolute bliss of deep sleep.

Something smoky shot up his nostrils and Leo woke up coughing. "What's the big idea?" he demanded sourly, snorting and blowing to get the ash out of his beak.

"Look, there had to be some way to wake you up and I certainly wasn't going to mother you into it," Bima ground out somewhere to the left.

"Geez, a guy tries to sleep and this is what I get," Leo muttered, opening his eyes to darkness. "What time is it?"

Aireilei sounded slightly tired. "Midmorning."

"Wow. You know, the one good thing about this world-wide darkness is that nobody can see us."

"I'll sue if I end up running into Lady Liberty on the way to Manhattan," Bima said sourly.

"I hate to be the one to point out that you have no money," Don chuckled.

The dragon snorted. "Killjoy."

"What?" If only there were light, Leo could imagine the look of superiority that Don probably wore at the moment. "You think running into the Statue of Liberty is a joyous occasion? I think you may have inhaled a moth with that smoke."

"Well, look who thinks he's clever Dan!"

Leo vaguely heard a screech behind them in the darkness. "Did you…"

Aireilei's ears went flat against her skull. "Yep, I did hear that. Looks like ol' Xatey found me again. We've got to keep moving!" Her wing beats increased in speed until everything Leo saw was a blur of motion. Another shriek sounded, this time more triumphant. Arrows whistled by them in the darkness as the white dragon cursed into the wind. "They've brought buddies! Leo, I need you to hand me my bow!" Aireilei hoisted her package to Leo, who caught Mike's hand and pulled him up in front of him.

Leo squeezed with his legs. "Um, okay!" _If I could se what I'm looking for, it'd be easier! _He felt hesitantly along Aireilei's furiously moving shoulder blades, probing for something to give his target away. His transport swerved wildly to miss an arrow impact and Leo nearly fell off, his quick reflexes the only thing that saved him. He wrapped his tail loosely around Aireilei's waist and he felt her grimly acknowledge him.

Finally settling into a state where nothing but a bomb could blow him off, Leo stroked her back with his left hand until he struck gold: the handle of the bow. Leo realized that, to get it into Aireilei's hands, he'd have to undo the string. Leaning forward until his beak touched her scaly neck, he reached around and found the notch where the string nestled. With numb fingers, he undid the string, nearly losing the bow in the process. Thankfully Aireilei caught it, re strung it, nocked an arrow, flipped around and fired while upside down. Leo, holding on for dear life to her neck, assessed that she'd missed considering the fervent number of Haradrian curses that came out of her mouth, most being "jhadie".

Growling, Aireilei leveled out again and shot forward. "We can't keep this up!" Bima yelled, ducking two arrows while a third bounced off her scales. Don himself was glued to her back like a tick. "They're gonna catch up sooner or later and when they do, we're hosed!"

"Don't you think I know that?!" Leo looked behind them, his eyes immediately widening.

"Dive, Aireilei, dive!" he yelled, clinging fiercely to her neck.

She was about to protest when she looked back and found what Leo had been so afraid of. "Why— Oh jhadie!" The white dragon cursed again, going into a steep dive while Mike screamed like a little girl.

"I think I wet my shell!" he announced at the top of his lungs as Aireilei banked hard to miss hitting an enormous wave.

Bima appeared beside Aireilei, who was flying as fast as wings can. "Why'd we go down?"

"They have flaming arrows up there! You think I want to compete with them?"

Mike shivered, clutching his clear arrowhead as a sort of guarantee that he wouldn't fall into the roiling salt water below. "What's so bad about fire arrows?" he asked.

"On Haradris, they _are _fire arrows! Solid lava all the way through and if one gets within ten feet of you, you get a first degree burn!"

An audible gulp came from the shuddering turtle. "Okay, _now _I see why you wanted to get away!"

"We're not out of the woods yet!" Don ground out, spotting nearly a score of griffins coming their way.

Aireilei released a hissing arrow at an archer, the impact of the ammunition knocking him clean off his mount's ebony back. "Dang it, why'd Pastey have to find me at a time like this?"

"And what's worse, there's a storm coming up on us; fast!"

Mikey turned his head and saw faint flashes of lightning illuminate the black clouds. "I'm not one to say 'we're doomed', but – WE'RE DOOMED!" he wailed as the tip of his toes were drenched in spray. Leo undid his tail's grasp on Aireilei's waist and wrapped it firmly around Mike, sensing his apprehension. "Thanks Leo, but now I feel like a lassoed cow." He shrugged and wrapped his own yellow tail around Aireilei's waist. Well, Mike's tail was about two feet shorter than Leo's almost six foot tail, so it barely even got around to Aireilei's left side.

"You think _you _feel like a lassoed cow?" the white dragon grunted. "I've been wrapped by your tails at least three times now! Sheesh, I never wanted to be this popular!"

Bima hissed suddenly. "Oh no you don't, you little sneak!" She blasted a gout of blue-white flames at a griffin and its rider who had managed to sneak up behind them. The bird-lion went down into the black water, screeching and smoking. The pungent smell of burnt flesh filled their nostrils for a second but at the speed they were going, they left it behind for the rest of their enemies to smell in no time at all.

Leo felt his little brother shiver through his tail. Almost unconsciously, he reached out and patted Mike on the shoulder. "Mike, I'd say something to you but at the moment, your bandanna's getting in my eyes."

"Oops. Sorry dude." Mike began to undo the knot but Leo stopped him.

"Don't. If you lose it, you'll be the only one April can't indentify."

"Right. After all, we're color coordinated so that makes it easier to tell us apart." Mike grinned. "Can you imagine the cow she'd have if we all came up to her without our bandannas and had Master Splinter ask her if she knew who was who?"

Leo snorted. "Don and Raph would be dead give-aways because of their dragon appendage colors."

Mike snickered. "True. But I really think that once this whole thing is over, we oughtta play some pranks on Casey and his beloved." Aireilei jolted them up and Mike found himself thanking Leo silently for holding him down.

Leo sighed heavily, wiping the water that had accumulated in his eyes. "If we live."

His brother sounded aghast. "Don't say that, Leo! We'll get out with hardly a scratch!"

"I wish I could believe you, but I've got a feeling that somebody's going to get hurt really bad."

"Are you crying, oh fearless leader?" he asked smugly.

"No, this wind's making my eyes water!" Leo defended.

"Oh, suuuure it is."

They heard Don yell in alarm. "Watch out!" Both dragons had to bank hard to the right to avoid getting hit by a large griffin. "What, was that guy trained in the art of ninjitsu or something?" Don muttered, disgusted. Fire arrows rained past them into the sea, hissing upon impact with the cold water. Mike heard Aireilei squeal in pain but for some reason, didn't reveal why. Instead, she began a complex pattern of diving, ascending, and twisting in midair.

"What's going on?" Mike squeaked in fear, nearly falling off despite Leo's tail and his anchor around Aireilei's waist.

"Lightning!" Don shouted over an earsplitting crack of thunder. Huge droplets of rain began smashing down from on high, immediately drenching every reptile to the bone. They all felt relief radiate from Aireilei but before they could ask the reason, something whistled by and hit the roiling waves below.

"Hit the deck!" Bima roared. Leo and Mike went flat on Aireilei's back as Don hefted something heavy and pitched it at the griffins with all his might. A column of water exploded up from the waves, striking several griffins and pulling them down into the angry sea. A bolt of lightning snaked down from a black cloud and hit five griffins, killing them all instantly. The bodies plummeted, limp, to their comrades' recent graves.

"What'd you do, Donnie?" Mike bellowed, blinking water out of his eyes.

"I threw a bomb into the water!" he replied in the same volume of voice.

"WHY?"

"Because I knew the resulting explosion would hit them and pull them down!" he yelled, as if Mike should've known. "After all, their feathers aren't oiled like ducks' are so their down absorbed the water! It made them almost as heavy as lead, so they went down!"

Mike snorted sourly. "Well, how was I supposed to know? And where the shell did you get a—"

"Hey, will you guys quit talking?" Bima barked, ducking a fire arrow. "I can't think worth beans while you're doing that!"

"You never could think worth anything!"

Still, they all shut up. Griffins screamed from every direction as lightning struck them, ending their lives. "The idiots probably wore some kind of iron alloy," Don assessed.

"Yeah, I'm going to assume that," Aireilei confirmed, accelerating her speed.


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: **(sigh) Look, will you people get off my case? I don't own the TMNT! Sheesh, these guys are relentless!

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**34.**

It had been hours since they'd set off from Japan and the rotten weather kept refusing to let up. The raindrops came down in a barrage of waves, hitting the turtles and dragons like tiny cannonballs. Lightning crackled down everywhere, some even threatening to strike the airborne reptiles right out of the sky. The only good thing that came of the deluge was that lightning strikes that had found their mark had wiped out all the griffins.

And unfortunately, the storm was growing steadily worse. Giant waves rose up like a toying cat's paws and crashed down again to the point of their origin in the ocean. The roiling waters looked deadly, even for a ship the size of a freighter. At the moment, all Don could do was hold on for dear life as Bima fought against the spattering rain. "The entire time I've been with you guys, nothing but bad's happened!" she bellowed into the moaning wind. "And I'm getting tired! How soon until we set down?"

Aireilei grimaced, blinking water out of her eyes. "I can't see because this accursed rain keeps impairing my vision, but if I'm correct, we've just entered the Gulf of Mexico!"

"I didn't see a break in the storm! How'd we get here so fast?" Aireilei shot her a 'you-just-asked-me-a-stupid-and-pointless-question' stare as she shook her head, spraying water everywhere. "Okay, fine, rub it in why don't you!"

Leo apparently asked something that couldn't be heard over a deafening clap of thunder. "What? Speak up, kid."

"Why do I have a tail if I don't have a dragon?"

Aireilei settled into a long glide. "The brief contact with Kiyo was enough to give you his tail."

"Speaking of dragon stuff, Mikey's got a big black dot on his shell."

Mike twisted around in Leo's grasp in vain, searching for the aforementioned mark. "Say what?"

"You have a plain mark simply because Iwansi is the element of darkness." The white dragon squinted at the haze of raindrops, trying to discern where she was. "Kiyo is wind, which is why you have a fan on your tail; he uses his as a weapon with which to control his element. Bima, as you know, is the element of water—"

Bima flapped a bit slower. "And proud of it!" she announced wearily.

"Rijinn represents fire and Saesha is telekinesis, the power of the mind."

"Pretty complicated stuff if you ask me."

"Not really. The five elements of Haradris, in their pure form, can destroy an entire planet if in the wrong hands."

Leo could've screamed. "They can?"

Aireilei dipped her head in return. "Yes. Tiquae, though his motives are to hold the world at hostage, does not realize that only a small portion of this power could form a parallel world to Haradris; same plant life, same landforms." Dismay radiated from everybody but her. "Essentially, the captured dragons' power could be used to fuse Earth and Haradris together. The rift between worlds would gradually close as the years passed until time itself would meld together to become the same. Earth could cease to exist as a separate planet."

Don growled. "So what you're saying is that no matter which way we look at it, we have to stop this thing before it happens?"

"Correct."

"Shell."

"And, if Earth is infused with my home world, Xetyphaes' empire will grow, as will his power. The jewel he holds was once a form of protection for a distant planet unlike our own. He took it for himself on one of his many ventures and the malice in his small heart was great enough to corrupt the jewel's innocent nature, turning the former Opal Eye into his servant."

Mike muttered a fervent, "Nuts."

"He declared himself ruler of our primitive world and has swallowed it in his tyranny."

"Well, then, let's get a move on!" Leo shouted over a deafening clap of thunder. "The storm seems to be getting worse!"


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer: **Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in.

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**35.**

It was torrential downpour by the time they reached New York with only seven minutes to spare before midnight. Lightning flashed from time to time as Aireilei and Bima navigated their way through the tangled network of buildings and billboards. Nobody bothered to look down and check if anyone was around; there weren't any lights to reveal them with. The magnetic static from the storm was interfering with electrical signals so badly that every advertisement board was sizzled and downright shorted out. The only board that worked was, ironically, a Chinese restaurant called the Laughing Turtle. Currently, the sentence "Chow mien for two dollars" was running in green across the sign.

"And I am _not _laughing!" Mikey grumbled, nearly losing his seat as Aireieli dodged a previously unseen streetlight.

Leo grimaced as thunder boomed in the distance. "This storm is really strange," he confided to Mike. "It's like it's following us."

Aireilei checked herself before angling upward. "That's because it is. It's following Bima." Leo gave her a disbelieving look. She turned her head and frowned at him. "You should know by now that it's following her because it was _created _by her."

"WHAT?"

"Look at the soaked girl, she's brimming with power!" Don was already aware of this fact, since the growing blue-white glow coming off his transport's sparkling scales was blinding him. He blinked.

"I think the storm's been getting larger because we're getting closer to the others!" He grimaced as a bolt of lightning briefly lit the black sky before the only thing visible was Bima, who was currently giving off light like a light bulb.

"Do you think I'm happy to be a firefly right now?" Bima asked crossly, shaking herself and scattering globules of rain onto her already wet passenger.

Don sputtered and nearly bumped his head on his Bo staff in the process of spitting out excess water. "Hey, watch it! I should've been scrubbed clean five hours ago!" he complained.

"We won't need a shower for two weeks!" Mike joked. Aireilei jerked in her flight pattern, and had Leo not been holding onto his younger brother with his tail, he would've plummeted to the cold asphalt below. "Gee, having a bit of turbulence, pilot?"

She scowled. "If I hadn't done that, you would've been smacked off my back by a stoplight!"

Mikey's face was the picture of meekness. "Well, don't blame me! Blame the cops who put it there!" Leo gave him _the _warning grunt and he shut up. Don let out a piercing yell and painstakingly pointed out the Foot tower. Mike winced, not heeding Leo's squeeze. "We all know that Donnie'll never make it in the Opera house. OW!" Leo pinched his yellow ear. _Hard_.

"Mike, shush." If his brother had been able to see Mike's face, he would've added a punch to that pinch. "You're not making this any easier."

"And you guys are picking mercilessly on me, the poor wounded invalid!" he protested.

"Knock it off. That leg of yours doesn't bleed." The blue-clad turtle scratched absently at his soaked, bloody bandage on his arm.

The 'chuk-wielding brother crossed his arms, refusing to let Leo have the last word on the argument.. "Well, it itches."

"Will you guys shut your traps?" Bima growled through gritted teeth. "We're here! And Master Splinter's waiting to meet us."

Don spotted him with difficulty in the haziness of the helipad. "Sensei knows everything, it seems." The rat waved solemnly. "And yet, something doesn't seem right about this…"

Aireilei landed with a heavy grunt, jolting Mikey clear off her back. "Mikey, you need to cut back on the pizza!" The white dragon collapsed, making a show of panting like a racehorse. The turtle on the cement glared in mock anger back at her.

Leo slid down onto the ground beside Aireilei. "My butt hurts," he groaned softly. "Remind me to bring a pillow to sit on next time we fly. Splinter walked up to Bima. And the strange thing was, he didn't have his walking stick. And he was…naked?

"Where's your kimono, Sensei?" Don asked. The rat said nothing but only smiled maliciously. Then it dawned on him. "Oh shell!" Too late. He'd already reached out and touched the glowing silver-blue dragon. Bima looked like she was fighting him for a brief moment but then was absorbed into 'Splinter'. Leo unsheathed his swords as the laughing rat changed slowly into Tiquae.

"You're all fools!" he declared, eyes fluorescing rainbow. "Because now, this world is _mine_!" Leo heard cries of agony from the five dragons as Tiquae drew on their power. Growing until he was a superhuman at six feet tall, the man growled a possessed bear and rushed Mikey. In the span of five seconds, the turtles' triumph quickly turned into a battle for their lives.

Mikey was thrown over the edge of the building, shrieking at the top of his lungs, "I don't wanna kiss the pavement!" Aireilei jumped to save her friend as Leo charged at the superhuman Tiquae. Leaping up, he slashed downward with all his might in order to pierce Tiquae skin, but the effort of this left him lightheaded. Just as a giant fist was coming down to smash him, Don tackled him out of the way and went at Tiquae like a demon, whacking every which way with his staff.

Leo shook his head, snarled, and got to his feet. "We've got to find Raph! Where's Raph?" Howling maniacally, Don's opponent threw him straight into the wide-open arms of Raphael. Leo could've screamed for joy at that time, but he stopped the flood of emotions when Raph suddenly smashed Donnie to the ground. His eyes were blank and white.

Aireilei landed close by and put a shivering Mikey down. "He's being controlled," she announced as Leo watched in horror. Raph had his Sai out and was stabbing for Don's throat. Roaring, Mikey limped to his brother's aid and smacked Raph back with his nunchuks.

"Knock it off, bro!" he screamed as Raph charged. Don whacked his legs out from under him as a Sai went whistling by the place where Mike's head would've been. Mikey kicked up and sent Raph flying into the Japanese garden on the far side of the helipad.

Leo, meanwhile, was parrying and blocking every blow that came his way. "You're a monster!" he snarled.

Tiquae laughed. "And what are you going to do about it?" The blue-clad turtle made no answer but sheathed one katana, and let fly a tornado kick that sent Tiquae sprawling. Blood streamed from the man's mouth as he chuckled. "You don't have me beaten, Leonardo, not by a long shot!" Aireilei stepped up beside Leo, bow in hand, three arrows nocked. Eyes icy cold, she released her artillery barrage at the monstrous hulking man before her. The arrows simply bounced off.

She gritted her teeth. "Jhadie! No one can deflect those arrows, not even Pastey himself!"

"Then you should know that I'm not Pastey, my dear," Tiquae growled. He began glowing an iridescent black as Aireilei gasped in disbelief. He was changing. Huge ebony wings sprouted from his back as his height increased, foot by foot. Long talons burst from his shoes, muscular legs splitting his pants. (A/N: That didn't sound right. ;D) His laughs changed into incoherent roars as his neck began growing armored scales. His head began lengthening until it was the size of Aireilei. Red eyes glowed from underneath large eye ridges. Even the mind controlled Raphael stopped beating up on Mikey and Don to watch the horrific spectacle. A large black tail whipped around behind the monster as Tiquae's distinct personality faded into a simple creature that lived for death and destruction. He was now the size of a semi truck and still growing. Finally, all articles of clothing lay in tatters around the black dragon's feet as he bellowed a challenge to the heavens, crashing down upon his forepaws.

The result of his immense weight began shaking the very foundations of the Foot tower. And right in its path was Michelangelo. "My son! Look out!" A red and gray blur flashed past Leo and Aireilei. Mikey looked up in startled horror as the black dragon's jaws opened in preparation to snap the turtle up in one gulp, sharp serrated teeth glistening. Then he was tackled aside by Master Splinter, who was readily chomped on the tail. The mutant rat let out a subdued cry of pain as the monster lifted him clear of the cement helipad.

"Sensei! NO!" Leo charged at the dragon in rage, whipping out his other katana. Before he knew it, Aireilei had snatched him from the ground and was flying up to the dragon's face.

"Slash at its eyes, Leonardo!" she cried, angling toward its large jaws. Master Splinter dangled limply from its clenched teeth, his tail starting to break and gravity pulling him down. Leo landed on the dragon's snout, dashing toward its red eyes. Howling in fury, the turtle stabbed one sword at its right crimson orb, stopped by the armored eyelid. With a snarl, the dragon threw him off its face. He hit a tall building next to the crumbling Foot tower, and began falling. Aireilei had already busied herself with removing Master Splinter, so there was nothing she could do to rescue the unconscious turtle. "LEO!"

Time itself seemed to freeze as Raph streaked from Don and leapt off the Foot tower, tackling Leo and crashing through an office building window. The two crashed into a steel desk in the far corner, upsetting the neat stacks of paper on top. Leo groaned and rubbed his aching head as Raph collapsed on the carpet, exhausted. "Man, bro, you needa watch where you're goin'," he grunted.

His brother stared at him for a few seconds, then enveloped him in a crushing hug. "Raph! We were so worried about you!"

"Yeah yeah, just quit suffocatin' me already!" Raph forced Leo off him and found himself laughing at the tail he now had. "Didja get in a fight with Master Splinter's Japanese fans?"

Leo shot him a glare as he staggered to his feet. "No, this is what Kiyo's looks like." A boom of thunder, followed by an agonized scream ripped them back to their senses. "Get up, Raph, they need us!"

He shook his head ruefully. "I couldn't if I wanted to, Leo."

"And why's that?"

Raph pointed to a long jagged slash on his thigh, which was oozing blood at the moment, staining the floor with crimson. "When you were skydivin', I cut myself on the glass comin' through the window." Leo sucked in a hissing breath.

"Shell." He reached down and grabbed his wounded brother's arm, slinging it over his shoulder. "We're gonna have to make do." Together, they limped steadily toward the glass-strewn floor near the window, carefully watching their step.

Raph looked out the window only to be spattered by large drops of rain. "Now what, oh fearless leader? It's not like we can jump over there."

Leo examined the situation with a sigh. "And I'm in no shape to try. I'm still waiting for the world to stop spinning. Here, Raph, let's get that blood flow to stop." Raph hobbled with some difficulty to a nearby chair, profusely apologizing for whoever had to sit in it next. Leo reached behind Raph, carefully untying his bandanna. Just as he'd finished securing it around Raph's leg, Aireilei burst in the window, panting heavily.

"Guys, we need to do something about that monster!" she ground out.

"Working on it."

She hissed impatiently. "Don and Mikey are having a hard enough time distracting that thing from you and Master Splinter!"

Leo straightened when he heard the words 'Master Splinter'. "How is he?"

"Other than losing half his tail as an appetizer, he's doing fine."

Raph's eyes clouded. "What exactly was I doin' to Donnie?"

"Beating him to a bloody pulp." The turtle paled notably in the dark. "Now let's go!"

Leo cast a doubtful glance outside in the melee of raindrop versus raindrop. "Raph goes first." Aireilei, happy to see some progress, stepped over the shards of broken glass with ease and put her arm around Raph's shell. Clearly uncomfortable with the situation, the red-clad turtle made a face as he was lifted powerfully from his seat and flown out the window. Minutes later, the white dragon returned for Leo.

Now there they stood, all six of them ready to face the monstrous dragon; rat, turtles and white dragon. Aireilei yelled directions as the black dragon's ebony paw came crashing down, scattering the defenders. "Mikey, get behind his foreleg! Don, to the rear! Leo, stab his hind leg and don't let go! Splinter, you and I shall attack his front! And Raph, on top and slash the base of his skull!" Action exploded from everywhere. The dragon let out a howl of pain as Leo plunged his katana deep into its left hind leg, holding on for dear life as it tried to shake him off. Mike was going at its elbow like a madman, whacking it hard with his 'chuks and jumping back when the dragon would attempt to smack him away. Raph was completely in his element as he climbed the neck spikes up to its head. With a animal bellow, he stabbed a Sai into the tender part where skull meets spine. Don was smacking around with his Bo like there was no tomorrow, bruising the leg he was after. Aireilei was in the air, bow loaded with arrows, loosing them into its chest. Then, much to their dismay, it started to fly.

Everybody fell off to avoid getting hurt. Raph swore a bit before being silenced by a sharp glare from his rat master. "This isn't working," Aireilei announced half-heartedly as the dragon drew back its head. "Look out!" They dove in all directions to avoid a gout of fire that came licking down to incinerate them.

"Isn't there some magic technique that you can teach us?" Leo panted, wiping his bloody katana on his leg.

"Now that I think about it, yes, there is!" At that moment, you could've heard a pin drop. Crackling flames interrupted her train of thought, as they had to dodge again. "We'll need an uninjured vessel with which to do it, though." All eyes fell on Donatello.

"Me?" he stammered. "Why can't Raph do it?"

The aforementioned turtle slapped him on the shell. "Because, Donnie, it's your turn to play hero."

"Now Don. What I need you to do is connect tails with your brothers and I." Tentatively, the purple tail came forth. Leo's joined his, as did Raph's and Mikey's. Aireilei wrapped her tail around all four. "Now concentrate. I'll do the rest." A strange feeling of crowdedness began to take over Don's mental senses. Raph's personality melded with his own, making him a loose-cannon and a genius. Leo's strategic ways fused with his own. Mike's humor made him think of jokes with which to lighten the mood. And Aireilei gave him power.

When he snapped out of the daze, everyone but Splinter had vanished. Then he grinned Raph's trademark smirk. "Let the buttkickin' begin!"


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer: **Hah! Thought you had me in a corner! But I don't own them, so bleh!

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**36.**

Don felt very strange after saying one of Raph's favorite phrases. It shocked him in itself to be the one to save the world. Seriously, that was Leo's department. Why choose the geek now? He jumped up, pumping his white wings furiously. _Because it's your turn to be hero, Donnie. _"Let's get this train wreck a-rollin'!"

The dragon snorted in brief shock but recovered masterfully, spitting a ball of roaring flames at the struggling Donatello. It seemed Aireilei's wings had a mind of their own, because he dodged to one side while still musing over the current events. He gave a shrill "yikes!" when a massive paw came crashing down on top of him, flattening him on the cracked helipad. Master Splinter, grabbed one of Leo's fallen swords and, despite pain shooting up his stump of a tail, embedded the blade deep into the dragon's paw.

Giving an inhuman bellow of agony, the ebony dragon yanked its stabbed paw off Donnie, allowing the slightly dazed turtle-dragon to stagger up. Rain poured in rivulets down his trembling form. "You are _so _gonna pay for that!" Snarling ferociously, he bolted under the flying monster's shadow. Aireilei's bow materialized out of nowhere, coming to rest in his hands. Within a fleeting second, he grabbed a fallen arrow on the roof, nocked it, and fired, striking his opponent in the belly area. It bounced off its scales, taking its place in the dragon's unprotected elbow.

He grinned cheekily. "How do ya like me now?" A grimace replaced the grin as he ducked a whistling tail. "Touchy, are we?" Don jumped and gave the wounded elbow a firm whack with his staff, pushing it deeper into the bloody mixture of muscle and bone. Howling in agony, the dragon slapped Don down, smashing him into the helipad once again. He wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth determinedly. His now rainbow-colored tail, long and whiplash-like, groped around the roof. "Okay, so you wanna play dirty, eh?" Bingo! His tail found one of Raph's gleaming Sais. Holding up his bow and nocking an arrow on it, he released his artillery barrage.

The Sai found purchase in the dragon's left wing, piercing it and ripping the leathery flesh. The arrow, on the other hand, flew up and bit the ear. Roaring in a tone that would make anyone's knees knock in fear, the dragon spat a bright gout of fire at Don. The flames hit their mark, striking Don full on in the plastron. Yelling in pain, the turtle forced himself to stand, the huge raindrops numbing the burns.

Splinter watched as his son – no, his _sons _stood up after a killing blow, disbelief evident on his fur-plastered gray face. Donatello's normally olive-green skin was now seared off in several places, including the right and left arms, and parts of his thighs. His face, however, was untouched save for scrapes along the jaw. Then Don took a defiant stance, beginning to glow. The rat continued to observe as the horrific burns were healed, replaced by healthy green scales.

"Hey, if I'd have needed a waxing, I woulda told you!" Don bellowed at the dragon. "I don't –" He jumped, spreading his wings. "—have any—" He whipped out his half-charred Bo. "—unsightly—" Once high above the dragon's head, he dived. "—BODY HAIR!" The purple-clad turtle brought his weapon down on the dragon's right eye with a sickening crack. Not waiting for a comeback, Don arrowed toward its widespread, wounded wing and snatched the Sai from the skin, extracting a pained squeal from his opponent. "This is for sensei's TAIL!" He resumed attacking the face, stabbing the Sai deep into its festering right eyelid, sealing it closed.

If the other screams of pain had been loud, this one was enough to blow your ears off. Don cringed and landed heavily on his shell as the dragon flailed around in the sky, knocking buildings over with every blow. Then he noticed Splinter, trapped under a piece of concrete. "Hang on, Sensei, I'll get you out!" On his feet, he darted to his master's aid, using the singed Bo staff to pry the heavy slab of cement off. With an echoing slam, it flipped off and slapped a small bonsai tree into the ground. "Y'know, I never did like that garden of Saki's," he commented sourly, helping Splinter up.

"Thank you, my sons." There really was no point in yanking Splinter to his feet, because a shaking thud knocked them both down again.

"What the…" A profusely bleeding paw grabbed him, crushing Don's breath out of him. Squirming in the dragon's grasp, he fought against the iron grip. "Open sesame, you creep!" With difficulty, he wormed his hand down inside a pouch of ninja stars. "I said, OPEN SESAME!" He stabbed the shuriken deep into one of the four fingers that held him, triggering the desired effect. He dropped to the ground, unharmed, as his opponent bit feverishly at the small, biting weapon. He jumped back as the injured paw slapped, back first, into where he'd been crouching. "So, you grew tired of flapping your wings I see?" The shaking thud that had knocked both he and Splinter down was the dragon landing heavily on the edge of the Foot tower.

The dragon, seeming to have gotten smarter, reared up on its hind legs. Don prepared to dodge in case anything came his way but when nothing happened, he began taunting. "Outta juice, lard butt?" The dragon raised his right paw, the other hanging limply at his side. Then, it tore a rift in the air. Just like paper. Its claws perforated the fabric of time space, slicing down and making it larger. "Jhadie, it's starting!" Don cursed, very Aireilei-like. He took flight, trying to get a look at the other side. Just a white line. But he'd better make this quick.

Power began building in the little turtle as he gained altitude. His hands started glowing a blinding mixture of colors. "I think I'm done playing," he announced, raising both hands. It was becoming overwhelming! He couldn't hold it in much longer. With a deafening yell, he twisted around, flipped, and fired.

An aurora of colors split from it as light began to pierce the black clouds. Don's mouth opened wider as the yell produced transformed into a dragon's roar of triumph. The dragon's head turned, left eye still open. It parted its jaws to spit a gout of fire at the turtle but was struck in the head by Don's barrage. Then, it began disintegrating. With a shriek that would've split a boulder, its head gradually disappeared, followed by its upper torso, wings, tail, and legs. Giving a final earsplitting moan of agony, it snapped out of sight.

It was done. The energy began dissipating as Don's arms fell limp to his sides. Aireilei's wings bore the exhausted turtle to the rooftop where Splinter stood, head bowed. Don landed rather unceremoniously on his rear. Eyes filled with tears, he whispered, "I did it, Sensei," and collapsed in Splinter's arms. Don's tail shortened and changed into its regular purple color as his brothers flashed into existence once again. Raph sat up blearily beside Leo.

"What the…oh man, I feel like I've been workin' out for a week straight." He fell backwards, landing on his shell with a groan of discomfort.

Mikey propped himself up on his elbows. "How's Donnie?"

Splinter nodded sagely at the sleeping turtle in his arms. "He will be fine, Michelangelo. Only rest can make him well now."

Leo stayed where he was. "I'd say we've had our fair share of buttkick for the day."

"And years to come!" Raph added.

The moon emerged from behind a dissipating cloud. "My sons, we must go home now."

Mikey staggered up. "Not without Iwansi Bima, Rijinn, Saesha, Kiyo, or Aireilei!"

Splinter's eyes saddened. "My son, they are no longer here."

"What?"

"Look around you and you will see what I mean."

Mikey turned around, nearly falling flat on his face in the process. His face paled. All that met his sight were six shimmering statues the size of a pen. He went and picked up the yellow one, nearly bursting into tears as he clutched the figurine to his chest. "No…" His ears.

Raph dragged himself toward the red one. "Shell," he cursed weakly as he stared into the eyes of Rijinn. Splinter himself picked up the pearl statue, examining Aireilei until his eyes began to blur. Mikey returned and handed Kiyo to spread-eagled Leo, sitting down by his elder brother with a look of numb disbelief on his normally cheery face.

"I hardly knew him," the blue-clad turtle lamented softly, holding the Peridot dragon up to the moonlight.

Splinter laid Don gently down on the rubble-strewn helipad, limping toward an aquamarine dragon. With a nod of sorrowful acknowledgement, he carefully placed Bima inside his kimono. Raph held his feelings inside as he gently picked up Rijinn and moved to grab Saesha.

"Sorry guys," he muttered, walking back to his siblings and father. "Master, we needa go now."

"I am aware of this, Raphael." Silence. "But I am not sure how to move Donatello without waking him."

"The shell with Donnie!" Raph exploded suddenly, letting the floodgates open. "Why can't he just walk like the rest of us?"

Splinter admonished him quietly. "That is no way to be talking to your brother, Raphael." Raph trembled uncontrollably as glistening tears flowed down his cheeks. "He has taken many more hits than you have."

"I'm sorry, Sensei," he said, breath hitching slightly. "I know. And I can never forgive myself for beating the shell out of him…"

Mikey looked up. "Can we go home now?" he asked.

Splinter returned to Don's side and nodded. "Yes. Let us return." Raph swallowed his pride and helped Leo up. Hiccuping softly, the hotheaded turtle limped painfully to retrieve his bloody Sais and Leo's stained katanas. With a smart jab, he stuffed his Sais into his belt and helped Leo sheath his swords. He took one look at the bow lying on the roof and nearly broke down again as he picked it up. Slinging it over his shoulder, Raph bent over, hissing as pain ripped through his slashed leg. He grabbed Don's staff and limped back to his brothers, slipping the weapon into the purple-clad turtle's holster.

"I'm ready now," he announced hoarsely. Leo gently picked up one of Don's arms and helped Splinter into the stairwell going down to ground level. Mikey followed. Raph turned and swore silently on his tail that he'd find a way to bring the dragons back. "Happy New Year, guys." Under the light of a full moon, he disappeared down the stairs. The only sound left was the gentle whispers of the wind.

And on that whisper came the words, "I love you, Raphael."


	37. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **Honestly, if I owned the TMNT, do you think I'd be writing on FANFICTION? Cuz if you do, you lack substance between the ears. 

A/N: Just another reload, pay it no mind.

**37. Epilogue**

Tuesday, February 12 

_Because of recent events, I've decided to keep a record of some sort. A journal if you will. It's not like me to let my thoughts wander but if we ever do have children, I'd like them to know of these things._

_It has been two months to the day when we defeated Tiquae and the Black Dragon on top of the Foot headquarters. Constant reminders of that battle still prick at my consciousness with unrelenting insistence, Raph's long, white, knotted scar on his right thigh being one of them. I feel a great sense of pity for Master Splinter. Sensei been suffering ever since his tail was shortened about two feet by the Black Dragon's teeth, and it seems some of his dignity has gone with that piece of his flesh. I can still catch Mikey glance in mirth at the foot-long, hairless pink stump that is Splinter's tail._

_Don seems to be the only one of us hit harder than Splinter. He's in no physical pain, but the mental sorrow of losing Saesha is quite visible in his amethyst eyes each day. When we got home and he woke up, he was devastated. I think that Saesha was the only friend who actually knew him inside and out. We're all sad the dragons were turned into gemstone figurines the height of a pen. Keilah's (a.k.a. Aireilei) pearlish one stands by a stone pillar to the right of the front door. Her bow is strung, raised, an arrow nocked, her lips parted in a cocky smile. Her wings are outstretched and her tail is curved up behind her back. Ever since she came back full dragon…well, it's hard to express our feelings for that perky kid. Every time Mikey's eyes lock with her unmoving piercing gaze, he gets a haunted look on his face and itches at the scar where she accidentally shot him. I can sometimes spot him fingering the clear arrowhead on a chain around his neck._

_Out of all of us, Raph was closest to Aireilei (a.k.a. Keilah). He doesn't show the emotional heartbreak we know he has bottled up somewhere inside that hard shell of his and disguises it was random spurts of "beat-the-ever-loving-tar-out-of-the-sandbag" and other things like "Cooking with Mikey". I've found that Raph has a knack for gingersnap cookies and barbecued steak. Of course, it was only with Mike's guidance that he prepared edible food. Chopping cow meat simply lets him blow off steam and it gives us a great Texas style meal to feast upon. Gingersnap cookies, however, came about as a mystery. He makes them every week now, so we never run out._

_The last reminders of our adventures are the dragon parts themselves. We all still have our oddly colored eyes: Raph with blood red, I with bright green, Don with what Mikey calls "amethyst attacked by streaks of silver", and his own, what he affectionately dubs "mellow yellow". Our ears and tails have more uses now that ever before. Time and time again they've helped us during patrols against Purple Dragons and the like. Mikey's learned how to use his tail to press buttons on Don's keyboard when he isn't looking. Raph constantly whips the punching back mercilessly with his and Don's found his is quite useful for closing the door on unwanted guests (i.e. Mikey). The bony fan on the tip on mine gives be a sense of pride, even though most of the torment I get as a leader now stems from it._

_The dragons Kiyo, Saesha, Rijinn, and Iwansi are all stationed in their respective rooms. I placed Kiyo's Peridot figure by my pillow, as it makes me feel secure (my teddy bear of sorts, if you will). He's perched upon a stump, standing on his hind legs. His forelegs are stretched out in front of him, controlling a whirlwind before the stump. When last I saw Rijinn, he was reared up and spitting flames out of a Garnet mouth (at least that's what Don says its name is. I'm not an expert on minerals and such). Iwansi, her figurine made out of Citrine, is depicted with her trademark tuft of fluff (it looks like something out of Dragonball Z) hanging over her right eye. Her other eye is brimming with Mikey-like mischief. Being able to cloak herself, she's pictured as half-disappeared already, like she's in the middle of becoming invisible. Strangely, once touched by warm hands, she reappears all the way. Saesha, whose amethyst statue I have not seen since the day we came home from the Foot headquarters, is simply sitting on her haunches with eerie glowing eyes._

_I make an entirely new paragraph for Bima because she is unusually unique in that she was rejected from a carrier. After all, a dragon cannot house a dragon. She's pictured as an aquamarine mischief-maker, her body supported twisting through imagined water by a strand of seaweed. Bima's smiling wickedly, her eyes ridges raised suggestively. It is always fun to look into her mocking gaze and be insulted. Raph's yelled at the gemstone dragon several times already, demanding what the shell she's laughing at. Splinter lovingly placed her beside Aireilei's statue, and sometimes places sticks of incense by the two fast friends to lighten the mood._

_Oh, and I've forgotten something exceedingly important. Casey and April (wouldn't you guess it) are getting married this very week in our Lair (after, of course, we manage to get all the muckety muck out of the Lair, since the floor is covered with rocks of all sizes)! Casey proposed to her about a month after we got back from 'The Battle' as it's called nowadays. The two are madly in love with each other, it's plain to see. Splinter volunteered (actually, we turtles sort of nudged him into it) to be the pastor for the small wedding service. Mikey requested that the dragons be present at the wedding. Ah, but where is my mind? The wedding is planned three days from now, on Friday. Guess who's Casey's best man? You guessed it: Raph. He's none too happy about having to wear a tux (he claims he'll look like a complete moron with red eyes, ears, and a tail poking out in all directions) but neither are the rest of us. The only time we've ever worn clothes was when Angel seduced us into rescuing Casey from Hun. Sensei looked positively mortified when he saw the robe he'd be wearing, which, coupled with the fact that he has a tail that's only a foot long, made Mikey start busting a gut. _

_Then came the question: Who are the bridesmaids going to be? We have an abundance of male, mutant ninja turtles for the job of groomsmen but we don't exactly have the female variety. Our only choice was to ask Angel, who happily obliged on one condition: that she be included in our nightly patrols. I began to protest, as I wasn't about to let her endanger her life, but she gave me a glare that plainly said "What'll it be? Torment for the rest of your miserable days or patrol? It's your choice." Am I right in saying that patrol is a better choice of preserving my sanity than torment? If anyone, particularly Mikey, finds and reads this journal, I'll be mocked for life by my loving siblings.._

_Speaking of patrols (I came in rather late with this subject), Foot activity has ceased altogether. I'm beginning to think that Tiquae wasn't lying when he said he disposed of Him. When I say Him, I mean Saki, of course. Don told me the other day all he knew about that man's (Tiquae; I'm getting a tad mixed up) plan to kill the Shredder was pure genius in a madman sort of way. Donnie's not promoting that kind of behavior but I was curious. Not wary, but curious. I suppose after recent months I've let my guard down. Anyway. Tiquae had an "all nuts, bolts, and gears" sort of mind. It worked like programmed, magnificent, and flawless machinery. I never had even a remote clue of how He (sorry, Tiquae) did it until Don explained it. From what Donnie'd gathered, Tiquae had projected holographic images of us turtles in Central Park to attract the PDs and Hun. This was while we were hunting feverishly for Kiyo, mind you. His bait worked like a charm, drawing the desired quarry to the spot in a matter of thirty minutes. Sorry, Mikey exaggeration. More like ten to five minutes. Then it was just a simple matter of beating the everlasting lights out of the PDs (short for Purple Dragons), darting Hun with poison, trucking the body out to some remote place, and burning it. I swear it makes me shudder to think of such inhumanity._

_Baxter Stockman was disposed of in a planned "accident" in his lab when one of his machines malfunctioned, so to speak. It blew the doc's brains out, killing him instantly. Literally. The guy was only a brain so – oh, never mind. Dr. Chaplin mourned the death of his role model for about one hour before being whipped back in line by a grumbling, irritated Saki. After Chaplin's death in freak accident when one of his experiments went haywire, killing him in the process, Saki got suspicious. Not surprising, since the alien was highly paranoid and much my displeasure it saved his guts many a time. Without much time before an enraged Saki would chop him to bits, Tiquae planted and blew up a small bomb in Saki's main room. Small enough to go unnoticed by the public and big enough to blow open Saki's exosuit. The Utrom had crawled out only to be hacked to death by Tiquae's katana. This was only a few hours before he came and captured Raph in Japan. I shall purge my mind of this subject, since it's making me sick._

_I believe I have now exhausted every available subject. Except for the fact that Sensei, even though he's missing the majority of his hairless tail, is cracking down on us for missing at least six weeks of ninjitsu training by encountering the dragons. Fighting with dragon ears has heightened our hearing so it's virtually impossible to sneak up upon us. And our eyes, funny colored thought they are, essentially give us night vision. Move over, Turtle Vision goggles._

_Oh yes, and Mikey got his cast off yesterday. I and everyone else feel a renewed sense of respect for broken body parts because of their ability to subdue hyperactive younger siblings. He's been bouncing off the walls ceaselessly ever since yesterday morning and Raph's threatened to break it for him twice now if he doesn't knock the shell off. Isn't brotherly love wonderful? At least, turtle love. It's what we call hard knock love down here in the smelly sewers of the Big Apple._

_It's dinnertime now. Another day closer to the wedding and another day lost to the past. Mikey's calling me so I'd better get my shell in gear and get off my bed. It's so hard to put down the pen. I'd probably become a writer were it not for the fact that I'm a five foot, talking turtle with bright green eyes, a tail, and dragon ears. Oh, Mike's fixed ravioli! Call me crazy, but I'm an all-Italian turtle, having lived on almost nothing but pizza for the last fifteen years. Hungry and drooling I go to the kitchen, although I'll probably stub my toe on a rock or something._

_Leonardo_

11:59 p.m., Tuesday, February 12

It was incredibly quiet in the Lair. All the mutants were in bed and if his brothers could see him at the moment, Raph had Rijinn tucked in his arms, sleeping like a baby. Soft snores echoed from Don's room, where he slept at his desk, the light on. Leo drooled on his pillow, making quiet sounds with his hushed breathing. Splinter was burrowed deep in a heap of blankets, his short tail twitching. And Mikey, sprawled in a nest of sheets, had one leg hanging off his bed.

Unintelligible muttering suddenly started coming from the middle of the Lair. "The things I do for these mutants are insane!" A white-garbed form slowly began forming in the dojo, somewhat displeased about being in the sewers. "Of all the places to settle down, they had to do it in a sewer! It's enough to make me sneeze!" Aireilei began glowing and started floating toward the man. "Although the Elentian pillars are a nice touch." He nodded sourly as he set her down with a soft clunk on the stone floor. "Humph. You should be glad I'm doing this. As it is, I'll be cleaning up _your _energy signatures for a week!" he grumbled as he pointed to the next subject. Bima rose wobbling and came to rest beside Aireilei.

"And what is with the pile of rubble?" He held out his hand and the Time Scepter appeared with a flash. Grumbling all the while, he raised it and pointed the staff at the rocks strewn all over the Lair. They began to glow and levitated into the air. With finality, the grouchy man motioned them up to the perforated ceiling. The slabs of concrete and rocks slammed up as time reversed, gluing them back together. "Humph! Now I should be able to breathe!"

The cranky man floated silently toward Raph's room, casting a thoughtfully disgusted glance at the sleeping reptile. "Sheesh, you'd think after being through enough battles to sink a ship that they'd grown out of teddy bears!" he scolded, levitating the garnet figure out of Raph's arms. He brought the dragon to the dojo and placed him to the right of Aireilei. "Why I even bother doing this after you fire breathing salamanders almost burnt my library to a crisp is beyond me." He passed through Don's subway car door and spotted the amethyst figure beside the turtle in purple's lamp. "What a place to put a millennium-old dragon! Light stand! Hah!" The man snatched Saesha from the desk, smirking in superiority at the log-like form of Don. He floated back out the door, placing Saesha next to Bima with a snort.

"Who were the other two? Oh yeah, I remember." He caught Bima's mocking glance. "Don't you look at _me _that way, young lady!" The man traveled to Michelangelo's room, throwing squinting glances at the boy's comics. He finally spotted the Citrine dragon by Mike's right hand. "Geez, at least I'll work off a few pounds out of this gathering thing." Once Iwansi was in his grasp, he swiftly spirited her away to her siblings.

He rubbed his chin. "Alright, where's that last one? Should be somewhere around this smelly place." The diminutive man grumbled for a time before floating up to the second level and peering inside Leo's room, grimacing at the wet puddle on the turtle's pillow. "Ugh, drool! I swear, I'll have to buy you mutants absorbent pillows! Yeesh. 'Least it worked with Renet." He spied Kiyo standing silent watch over his sleeping (and drooling) friend. "I've been looking for you, Kiyo. What a nightmare this has been!" he monologued, dropping considerably fast in his hurry to get his task over with. Once in the dojo again, he dropped Kiyo beside Rijinn, taking his place in front of the six dragons.

He folded his arms crossly, looking at his frozen audience. "Before you all start hopping and bouncing around like crazy, I'll have you know that I lost ten hours of your time trying to find you! Honestly, do you think tracking you down was fun?" He began waving the Time Scepter around to emphasize his point. "Renet wouldn't let me sleep unless I did this! Silly girl saw you in the Orb of Hindsight! I'll have that thing removed from the room if she continues sending me on errands like this!" He sighed, as if he wanted to be done with this at once. "Okay, listen up, kiddies. I'm only going to say this once. Just so that you're not used again by megalomaniacs and supervillains, I'm releasing you on one condition: you're bound to be the mutants' 'pals' forever. Don't you give me that look about pals, I'm nearly through talking with you. And I'll have you know that I'm going straight back to bed when I get back home." Every one of them, still in the same pose, flashed their eyes. "Yeah, well there are going to be slight drawbacks to this, so don't sue."

The Time Scepter began glowing a bright blue hue.

The glow on the Time Scepter connected with Aireilei first. Slowly a change in the statue became recognizable. It grew steadily larger until it was the original height of the white dragon. As if a daze shattered, the dragon collapsed on the floor, unconscious. "Hurmph. So you're out cold. Fine. You'll wake up soon enough. If you ask me, you've been needing forty winks for five hundred years." Next he switched the power flow from the white dragon to the garnet figurine. Unlike Aireilei, Rijinn grew to the height of one foot before falling over, nestled in a nook of Aireilei's tail.

Lord Simultaneous scowled as Rijinn's face grimaced at him. "Don't you blame me, I warned you about drawbacks!" Finally, after five minutes of toil, all six dragons lay in a heap on the floor, each of the five who were once imprisoned in tablets only one foot tall and two feet long. He grunted irritably. "Have a nice life. Sheesh, I need my sleep and Renet asks me to do this? I don't get paid enough for charities. Heck, I don't get paid at all!"

Bima's eyelids fluttered for a second and she smiled up wearily at the glowing man. "Thanks, old guy."

"Yeah, whatever. Just sleep or somethin' until they wake up." Lord Simultaneous waved the Time Scepter around his head once and disappeared all together. The silver blue dragon grinned sleepily and pillowed her head on Saesha's rising and falling belly. Soon, she was out cold.

Leo began to wake gradually. Morning grogginess was never easy to recover from. Parting his jaws in a massive yawn, he stretched, tail curling around a nearby bedpost. His hand happened to connect with his pillow and with some annoyance he noticed that it was soaked in slobber. _Wonderful. _He stifled another yawn before sitting up and scratching his head and smacking his lips. With a sigh, Leo turned. "Another day, huh Kiyo?" Through half-closed eyes, he searched the room but failed to see a Peridot dragon anywhere in his room. Wait, where _was_ Kiyo? He was usually stationed right by Leo's pillow!

Did I knock him off on accident? Wouldn't put it past him. As a turtle tot, he'd been known to smack Raph in the chin while asleep. Poor guy had bruises for a week. He slid off his loft, landing lightly on the floor in a crouch. His green eyes lit up in the dark. Nope, no sign of a small dragon figurine. Where on Earth could he be? 

He sighed again, furrowing his brow. Might as well get ready for ninjitsu. The blue-clad turtle stood and padded to his battered nightstand where his bandanna, pads, and sheathed katanas rested. Leo picked up the strip of blue fabric, carefully tying it around his head with the ease of long practice. He smiled as he strapped on his joint pads. Back when they were little, they had the hardest time tying knots. So Splinter had them wear the larger version of bandannas. And even then there were some difficulties. At least, only with Raph.

When he had finished adjusting his belt and katana scabbards, he scanned his room one more time for Kiyo before pouncing out the door, right on top of Raph.

"What the shell? Leo, get offa me!"

"Oh. Sorry Raph."

He muttered as Leo picked himself up, "Geez, come to ask a guy a question and ya get flattened! Leo, you're paranoid."

Leo shrugged and helped his brother up. "Sorry, Raph, I really didn't see you," he apologized.

Raph glared as he brushed himself off. "What are ya, blind? Them eyes give ya night vision!"

"Hey, knock it off." An awkward silence followed. Leo scuffed his foot. "What exactly were you doing up this early?"

Raph scowled. "Rijinn went missing. I remember going to sleep with him right by me but…"

"Really? You too?" Leo scratched his chin. "Hm, this is odd…" He looked around the lower level of the Lair but stopped short. "Say, didn't we used to have a whole bunch of rocks down there?"

Raph's ears perked up. "Yeah, you're right." They both hopped down, landing lightly on the clean floor. Leo bent down and ran his finger along the stones, and showed it to his brother with a shrug. "No dust?"

A loud roar split the blackness: "ATTACK!!!"

Something large flattened Raph to the floor while Leo dodged several smaller enemies. He retreated until his heels were at the edge of the river water. Then one of the things tackled him, knocking him into the water and submerging completely. The icy cold liquid forced the breath out of his lungs. All he could see were bubbles.

Then something grabbed his arm and he was able to breathe. _"Okay, what in shell is going on—"_

The thing dragged him to the surface. "Sheesh, after I give you a bath and save your life…" it grumbled as Leo sputtered. "Hey, watch where you're spitting that stuff, Leo!" He felt like he'd been struck in the stomach.

"Bima?"

"Yuppers, who else did you think it was?" Leo crawled out of the water as the dragon pounded his shell.

"How come you're so—"

"Little?" she finished with disgust. "It was _his _fault."

Leo grinned as the sapphire eyes connected with his green ones. "Well, no matter. I'm just glad to see you again!"

The little dragon hopped down and padded off. "Before you burst into tears, oh sir frog, there's someone who'd like to have a long talk with you." Green eyes peered out from the darkness.

"Hey Leo," Kiyo said shyly.

Raph squirmed under his opponent's weight, snarling threats and promises. "Get offa me, ya creepoid, unless ya wanna get stabbed by my trusty Sai!" he growled.

"How can you when your arms are pinned beneath you?" it said smugly. He let his indignity smolder for a while before it finally got off of him. Then he got up, turned and tackled it to the floor.

"Gotcha!"

"Raph, get off," she growled in mock anger.

"Not yet, you little – wait," he stopped, suspicion evident in his voice. "Aireilei?"

"Yes, Prince Charming?"

"You're alive? But how?"

"You wouldn't believe me."

Raph felt his cheeks burning as an awkward silence took place. "Aireilei, did you say that you loved me the night of the battle?"

Her periwinkle eyes sparkled. "Maybe."

Suddenly, bright red firelight flared as Rijinn howled, "I knew it!"

Leo saw Mikey's groggy form tumble out of his room only to be tackled by an invisible ball of energy. "C'mon, Mike, wake up!" Iwansi blew smoke up his nostrils, setting the turtle off coughing.

"Iwansi? That you?" he asked.

"Who else can become invisible, smart one?"

Mikey grinned. "A ninja in the shadows."

Don jerked awake at his workbench as he heard a triumphant, "I knew it!" split the air.

"What in tarnation?" he grumbled, yawning.

"Don? You awake?" a small voice inquired.

"Wha?"

Something slightly sharp rested against his shin. "Please wake up, I want to speak with you." He looked down into deep amethyst eyes.

"Okay, _now _I'm seeing things!" Don muttered.

The lithe form hopped gracefully onto his lap and reared up. "Can a dream do this?" A scaly muzzle nudged his beak as it finally dawned on him.

"Saesha…" He enveloped her in a tight hug.

"We're home, Donnie. We're home."


End file.
